Anvil - The Story Of Anvil

I can't shake this suspicion. I can't help thinking that it's not true. It's
too good, and it's too weird. We're told that this is a documentary about a
heavy metal band called Anvil, who nearly made it in the eighties, and then
didn't. And apparently, despite an abject lack of success, they've been
slogging away in the music industry for the past thirty years, releasing twelve
albums on minor labels, and this is the point where we catch up with them.

We follow them on this tour, on which they play a series of gigs, each more
embarrassing and poorly attended than the last. The tour's managed by the inept
girlfriend of one of the band. At one point in the movie, they end up at
Stonehenge. The drummer's name is Robb Reiner. At one point we see an amp
turned up to 11. They record an album called "This Is Thirteen." The events of
this film aren't just "more Spinal Tap than Spinal Tap", they're a close
parallel to Spinal Tap, and you can't help thinking that it's been deliberately
contrived to some degree. I feared for the drummer's life.

That said, all signs do indeed point to there actually being a Canadian Speed
Metal band called Anvil who played Japan on a bill with the likes of The
Scorpions and Bon Jovi back in the eighties, and unquestionably failed to
become anywhere near as big as virtually everyone else on the bill.

What we see in this film is a portrait of a couple of guys who are in their
early fifties, have been best mates since the age of 15, and still believe,
despite all evidence to the contrary, that one day, they're gonna be rock stars
again. And they're not sad, deluded idiots. They're mad, wonderful, deluded
idiots. They have a disappointing European tour. They gamble everything they've
got on producing an album. They live their lives and they make their choices
based on the idea that it's better to try and fail than accept a lesser destiny
than Rock Star. Because frankly, whether they're playing to a packed stadium or
ten drunks in a club in Prague, that's what they are, and I salute them for it.


All in all, this is a thoroughly excellent film, that restores your faith in
humanity. For all that it resembles This Is Spinal Tap in structure, the film
it really reminds me of is The Wrestler - these too are a couple of faded
heroes who refuse to give up on their dreams, beyond all reason.

I am pretty certain that the documentary maker deliberately cut the thing to
look like Spinal Tap, and indeed may have manipulated things in that direction
("Hey guys, let's go down to Stonehenge while we're here, it'll make great
footage!") Having said that, I don't think either of our hapless heroes have
the acting chops for this to have been anything other than their genuine
responses to the situation. Go see it, and I'll bet you'll want to buy their
album by the end, even if you have no earthly intention of listening to it.