Anvil! the Story of Anvil
Studio: Ahimsa Films
Rated: R
Cast: Malcolm Dome, Lars Ulrich, Scott Ian, Lemmy, Slash
Director: Sacha Gervasi
WorkNameSort: Anvil! the Story of Anvil
Our Rating: 3.00

There’s a scene in the classic rock mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap that perfectly captures the pathos and accidental humor that is the life of a fading rock star. ‘Filmmakerâ?� Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) asks guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) what he would do if he weren’t in the band. Tufnel suggests he might be a good shoe salesman. ‘Do you think you’d be happy doing that?â?� asks DiBergi. ‘Well, I don’t know,â?� ponders Tufnel. ‘What are the hours?â?�

The documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil opens with footage of the real-life Canadian band rocking a giant crowd at an ’80s metal festival, followed by present-day testimonials from modern legends like Slash discussing in all seriousness how awe-inspiring the group was at the time.

This is no mock-doc joke. Director Sacha Gervasi deftly introduces us to irrepressible frontman Steve ‘Lipsâ?� Kudlow and his ever-suffering lifelong sidekick Robb Reiner (seriously), who were and remain fine musicians but simply never quite caught on. Now they toil the years away at blue-collar jobs, trying to support their families and feeding the glory bug by convincing themselves that the next album, the next tour, the next anything might finally earn them the attention they believe they deserve.

As in Spinal Tap, there is heartbreak and inspiration in these scenes. But in an age where an entire music channel (VH1) seems devoted to mining the melancholic depths of rock has-beens, the film has nowhere to go except to follow the band deeper into oblivion, until the final scene ends on a muted positive note: They’ve found a decent-sized audience in Asia, naturally. Gervasi’s and Anvil’s inability to conjure much of a triumph from this may be truthful, but it’s far from uplifting.

Ironically, Anvil’s actual happy ending is playing out in real time, as you read this. Anvil!, the film, has found a rapturous fan base, earning major film festival awards in Chicago, Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia. It was picked up for distribution by none other than VH1 Rock Docs, sparking a massive new interest in the band and a feature in Rolling Stone. While this phenomenon imbues the documentary with pop-culture sheen, it doesn’t change the material, which, for all its curiosities, is only par for the course.

This article appears in May 27 – Jun 2, 2009.