Review of Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008) by Dustin G — 16 Jan 2011

Anvil could coast along fine on its ingenious concept - what's going on in the life of one of the goofy 80's metal bands who toured with the likes of White Snake, Slayer, Anthrax, and so on - but, for whatever reason, were left behind while everyone around them got rich and famous, and they don't let that stop them from rocking into their 50's. What elevates it to greatness is the two original band members the film focuses on - who are charismatic, funny, slightly crazy and occasionally tear-jerking - and the drama they go through. Anvil hits every inch of the emotional spectrum, going from sadly hilarious to heartwarming to infuriating, sometimes in the same scene. It's such a tight film that hits all the dramatic moments at all the right times that if I didn't know this was a real band, I would think I was watching a mockumentary along the lines of "This is Spinal Tap.".

The only blunder here is a lousy, overly sappy original score, underlining irritating (but expected) documentary filmmaker cliches in the final third. Other than that, this is pure gold and you should see it.