Review of Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008) by Jonny 9 — 03 Aug 2009

This documentary chronicling an old-fashioned Canadian heavy metal band is unexpectedly emotionally affective and rich in absurdist ?This is Spinal Tap? moments. Director Sacha Gervasi creates a loving portrait of the natural outcome of a teenage promise kept between band founders Steve ?Lips? Kudlow and Robb ?Robbo? Reiner to rock until they were old men.

That day has come without the band graduating out of obscurity and the men must persist in trying to land gigs and a recording contract ? a mammoth challenge even if they were in their 20s and worked in a more contemporary genre.

Our heroes persevere through their Spinal Tap moments including missed trains, getting lost in Prague and the ridicule of family members. However, it the fact that they do become the heroes of the piece that speaks to Gervasi?s editing skill and the way he frames the depth of the relationship between Lips and Robbo.

So effective is Gervasi that when only 174 people attend an Anvil show in a 5,000 seat arena the audience?s response is not laughter but groaning. You wind up rooting for these guys and their final, again Spinal Tap-esque, triumph in Japan lets you leave the theater feeling virtual vindication.

I'm pre-outraged that the academy didn't nominate this as best documentary. Find a theater that showing it ? you won?t be disappointed.