Metal on Metal

I don't usually write movie reviews on this site because, well, I just don't. Besides, folks like my buddy Doobs do it much better. But I had the good fortune of watching Anvil: The Story of Anvil over the weekend and I enjoyed it so much that I figured I'd blog about it.

Unlike many folks who saw the documentary when it came out on DVD last year, I'd actually heard of the band before. I was vaguely aware of Anvil when I lived in Canada and picked up an album of theirs (I think it was their debut, Hard 'N Heavy) on a return visit to Toronto in the early '80s. They were acknowledged as one of the pioneers of thrash metal along with much-better known acts like Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth. I don't remember listening to the record much; it just didn't grab me and the lyrics were pretty dumb, even by metal standards. But it certainly rocked. I never picked up another Anvil album and the one copy I had was lost when I gave away a box of metal records about 15 years ago (a move I still regret).

So a few years ago when I heard that a documentary was made about the band, I was definitely interested. And when the film got rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival in early '09, I was even more interested. Director Sacha Gervasi is a Hollywood screenwriter who wrote the Spielberg/Tom Hanks flick The Terminal, and apparently he roadied for three Anvil tours of the UK in the early '80s. He followed the band around from 2005 to 2007 and chronicled the struggles of bandleaders Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner (really, that's his name) as they fought each other and the world to keep their 30-year-old band going.

It's basically a real-life Spinal Tap tale, but the film really makes you feel for the guys as they go on a disastrous European tour where they play before near-empty clubs and get stiffed by ruthless club managers. The guys live in Scarborough, Ontario, which is where I was born and lived until I was 7 (once a suburb of Toronto, it's now part of the city). Lips works at a catering company and Reiner is a construction worker, but both just want to rock. Meanwhile, their families patiently support them while hoping the guys will come to their senses and give it up already.

The movie manages to be really touching without being sappy and captures plenty of awkward and hilarious band moments as they struggle to get their new album released. Even if you think heavy metal is a bane of society, you'll find this film enjoyable.

Since it came out, the band has enjoyed a renaissance, opening for AC/DC on a stadium tour and playing on The Tonight Show last fall. Anvil's currently working on a new album. They remain a goofy metal band that rocks hard. Although many folks will probably see them and buy their albums for ironic enjoyment, hopefully they'll make a little cash out of the whole thing. Certainly, shittier bands have had much more success.

Rockin' in '84:


The trailer: