Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Robb Reiner and Steve 'Lips' Kudlow in Anvil! The Story of Anvil
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Thursday, 19, Feb 2009 04:16
Directed by Sacha Gervasi, out Boxing Day in cinemas, starring Steve 'Lips' Kudlow, Robb Reiner, running time 80 mins.
In a nutshell...
For those who still rock - we salute you.
What's it all about?
Steve 'Lips' Kudlow and Robb Reiner played an integral role in the birth of heavy metal as founder members of Canadian band Anvil, but despite touring the world in the early 80s, fame eluded the childhood friends while their former rivals went on to sell millions.
Nearing their 50s, with day jobs, family ties and increasingly crippling mortgages, Steve and Robb have never given up on their childhood dream and head out on a European tour before recording their 13th album.
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Who's in it?
Steve 'Lips' Kudlow and Robb Reiner first met at school in Toronto in 1973, with Anvil first formed in 1978. The band changed the face of heavy rock with second album Metal on Metal but after a series of poorly negotiated contracts and under-produced records, Anvil faded into obscurity while their peers ascended. Anvil! The Story of Anvil finds the founder members taking one last shot at the big time.
Screenwriter and director Sacha Gervasi worked as a roadie for Anvil during his teens after meeting them after a London show in 1982 before opting for a writing career. Gervasi wrote for the Sunday Times, Observer and Punch while attending the prestigious UCLA film school and got his big break after his screenplay The Terminal was developed by Stephen Spielberg in 2004.
As an example...
"So there's cliffs I can go jump off, but that's the easy way. " - Steve
"Well. you won't jump off the cliff 'cos I'll stop you." - Robb
"... That's dedication, pal." - Steve
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
With a host of documentary awards already under its belt, expect Gervasi's stock to rise and - hopefully - a much-deserved session in the spotlight for Anvil.
What the others say
"The best rock 'n' roll movie since Spinal Tap? Hell yeah!" - Kerrang!
"The lyrics to AC/DC's Long Way To The Top were never more appropriate. Anvil! is exactly what's needed to slap the recent rash of doomsayer documentaries in the face - preferably with a studded, fingerless leather glove." - Sam Toy, Empire
So is it any good?
In Almost Famous, Patrick Fugit as William Miller is told to turn his band profile into a "think piece about a mid-level band struggling to come to terms with their own limitations in the harsh face of success" - what Anvil would have given to even be blindsided by a chance of the big time.
Sacha Gervasi's incredibly absorbing documentary doesn't even concern a band with minor fame but a pair of never-weres refusing to abandon their dreams despite success continually eluding them. But with this remarkably human look at a genre considered laughable by many, the writer/director might have just given Steve and Robb one last shot at redemption.
While the Spinal Tap comparisons can't be ignored - rubbish foreign band manager, sometimes cringeworthy metal, depressingly low gig attendance and a band member called Robb Reiner - this is so much more. Steve's indomitable spirit, the exasperation of producer Chris Tsangerides and Robb's inability to abandon his brother-in-arms leaves the audience member pulled into a world of distortion, devilish intent and diamond-studded jackets and unwilling to leave when an exhilarating climax is so happily reached.
8/10
Lewis Bazley