The Story of Anvil - Film Review

Lips Kudlow and Robb Reiner Shine in Documentary on VH1

Oct 4, 2009

The personal glimpse into the world of the members of Anvil, a metal band from Canada that has been playing for 30 years, is heartfelt and poignant.

Forgotten metal band Anvil really is the living, breathing Spinal Tap. In Anvil! The Story of Anvil, airing on VH1, director Sacha Gervasi filmed over 300 hours of footage, following the band's exploits all over the world. What he creates is not not even close to a typical Behind The Music-style biopic. Rather, it is a layered portrait of men who continue to persevere despite the passage of time, defeats and bad luck.

Influence on Heavy Metal Giants like Metallica and Anthrax, and Artists like Slash

Anvil's 1982 album Metal on Metal is considered one of the great metal albums that inspired head-banging alums like Lars Ulrich of Metallica, Scott Ian of Anthrax and Slash of Guns 'N Roses. So why hasn't anybody heard of them? Why are they denigrated to playing seedy bars worldwide to only dozens of fans, often not getting paid at the end of the night?

To that end, the film starts and concludes in Japan, the place where Anvil felt its first 15 minutes of fame when it headlined a festival alongside The Scorpions, Whitesnake and Bon Jovi, all of which went on to sell millions of records. The answer: countless bad managers, bad record labels and bad advice. As Motorhead's Lemmy sums it up: They were just never at the right place at the right time.

So, why are they still together writing songs after all this time with such little commercial success?

Anvil's monumental string of bad luck inspired a remarkable never-say-die spirit. The most refreshing part of the story of Anvil is that frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow remains upbeat despite 30 years' worth of setbacks, emotional outbursts with drummer and co-founder Robb Reiner, and what seems to be the hefty weight of the band's future falling squarely on his shoulders.

The Real Story of Metal Band Anvil

There is so much humanity portrayed by Kudlow and Reiner. More like brothers than friends, they met at age 14 and never stopped believing. If anything, this documentary is a testament to these two men with metal music as an aside.

At the end of the film, the audience learns that Gervasi was a roadie for Anvil in 1985, but the documentary doesn't play out like an homage by a long-time fan. Its real strength is the steadfastness of Lips and Reiner, the turmoil and the unwaivering pursuit of a dream most would have abandoned long ago.

Like Reiner's well-intentioned sister, Droid, who candidly tells Gervasi that her brother needs to get a reality check, and an EMI Canada record exec who blows them off during a meeting with platitudes and then rejects Anvil's thirteenth album This is Thirteen via email.

In fact, the pair might be a lot less sympathetic, and a lot more looney tunes, if they weren't such good guys who are so devoted to each other and the 14-year-old boy's rock star promise. By the end of the film, the viewer is rooting for them despite the bleak odds. And why not? Each person only has one life to live, as Kudlow repeatedly explains in the film, perhaps trying even to convince himself.

Luckily for audiences and Anvil, this film might be the break that has eluded them for decades.

The copyright of the article The Story of Anvil - Film Review in Biographical Documentaries is owned by Heidi Lowry. Permission to republish The Story of Anvil - Film Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.