Reviewed by Kenny Fischer

Outside of Metalocalpyse, VH1 Documentaries, and Chuck Klosterman, I don't give a flying fuck about metal.  I have both an ironic and earnest love, if that's possible, for '80s rock of all kinds, but metal has never been my bag.  For that reason and many others, Anvil!  The Story of Anvil wasn't even on my radar when I got to Sundance.  When a friend called me last Friday to tell me about the movie I thought it was a documentary about a town named Anneville.  It made sense at the time.  Being awesome, this friend had scored a ticket for me and basically demanded I check the movie out.

Yay for me, because Anvil!  The Story of Anvil kicked my ass.  The best way to describe the film is an organic mix of This is Spinal Tap!, When Harry Met Sally and American Movie.  The last documentary is a slightly unfair comparison because American Movie was a mean spirited look at horrible filmmakers.  Anvil! is a loving portrait of four goofy and talented badasses.  It's a story about perseverance.  It's a story about luck.  It's a story about life, dreams, and America.  It's a story about...well...everything.

Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner met when they were 14 years old.  Lips overheard Robb listening to metal and the rest is history.  They joined forces and created Anvil.  Somehow, I blame Canada and bad luck, they've never become kind of a big deal.  And yet, they've stuck together for 37 or so years.  That's what this movie is about.  It's about a pair of guys that decided to pursue a dream until their death.  They're the Energizer Bunny of metal bands and they will play until one of them is six feet under, then whoever is left will rock out at the funeral. 

As far as I'm concerned, the heart of the movie lies in the bond between Lips and Robb.  It's odd that a movie featuring a character named Robb Reiner* will remind me of both This is Spinal Tap! and When Harry Met Sally but I have no problem with coincidence.  The interview portions of the latter film popped up in my head during the movie several times.  Robb and Lips are like an old married couple that felt there was a sense of honor in staying together.  This film is a look at how they became a dynamic duo and how their relationship has evolved over the years. 

There's something beautiful about how resilient they are and how they support each other.  Most people in this world will never have a friend that great and they certainly won't have a friendship this long.  Lips delivers food for a catering company and Robb does construction, but whenever given the chance and in whatever amount of free time they have, they rock the shit out of any joint that will have them.  They're both appreciative of any opportunity thrown their way.  The film starts with them doing their daily routine, but a glimmer of hope appears in the form of a rinky dink European tour assembled by an unintelligible German woman.

We follow them from gig to gig, some are impressive and some are embarrassing.  The director has known the band since he was a teenage fan but he doesn't shy away from capturing the kind of shenanigans low level bands like this can get into.  By featuring the band looking hilariously stupid and inept at times, he's created an honest portrait of the group.  This documentary could have been a puff piece, a glossy and dishonest look at Anvil.  It also could have been two hours of snarky and cruel mayhem, and while that would have been hilarious, it wouldn't have had the same effect the movie had on me.  It falls somewhere in between, being as funny as a great comedy and also inspirational.

After the tour goes awry, the band returns to Canada sullen and depressed.  We see how they find happiness in the small things and how hard they try to make it in a world that doesn't give a damn.  There are some highs and there are some lows.  I won't spoil any of them, but many a dude shed a tear during the third act of the movie at both screenings I attended.  With a great sense of pace and attention to character, the documentary works on a shitload of levels.  That's all good, you say.  But how was the music?  Do they rock? 

Dude.  Totally.  The film features several tracks, both old and new, but "Metal on Metal" is an anthem.  It's a battle cry.  It's just cool.  I walked out of the movie humming the tunes and totally stoked that the band was going to make an appearance at the Starbar in Park City a few days later.  The gig started hours late, and left a new generation of Anvil fans out in the freezing cold, and outside of giving my girlfriend something resembling pneumonia, it was all worth it.  I found myself standing less than a foot away from Lips as he began the gig out in the crowd, performing an epic solo.

I thought that the concert couldn't get better, then Scott Ian from Anthrax joined them for "Metal on Metal."  My face melted off.  Then Slash came out and joined them for a cover of "Catscratch Fever."  I stumbled out of the place humbled and possibly blessed.  I think they played more but I had to bounce.  What I saw was more than enough for me.  They played their hearts out and seemed grateful for every headbanging hipster in the place.  Lips looked like he was struggling to determine if the events around him were real or in his imagination.  This was their first time performing in Utah and I'm pretty sure they had a good time.

I hope this documentary is released soon.  You'll definitely laugh.  You might cry.  And you certainly will be entertained.  I just hope Lips gets enough money to pay back his sister.  If you want to buy any schwag or CDs check out:

http://www.anvilmetal.com

Someone buy Anvil! The Story of Anvil now.  All you have to do to gain access to the cool kids club is to pony up some cash and unleash this work of genius on the American public.   

*At least it wasn't North or basically any post When Harry Met Sally Reiner film.