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Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Review Disc Only
Anvil!
The Story of Anvil is a rock documentary with a difference. There are no
tales of hotel room destruction, no tales of heroic/idiotic amounts of
alcohol intake, no tales of mountains of drugs that would shame Keith
Richards, and no tales of mountains of women that would shame Mick
Jagger. No, Anvil! The Story of Anvil is just a story about a rock band
that never quite made it, and the long standing friendship between its
two founding members. This is a refreshing turn, as the excesses of
rock and roll fall by the wayside for a moving examination of a
friendship and a desire to achieve their dreams.
The
film begins explaining who Anvil are. It is 1984 and they are one of the
headliners of the Super Rock Festival in Japan. Their tour mates include
Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, and Scorpions. The other bands all went on to
achieve healthy successes and sell many records, while Anvil were left
by the wayside. Now, vocalist Steve “Lips” Kudlow drives a catering
truck for a living, and drummer Robb Reiner does construction work. Both
still yearn for the big stage, and still play shows to small crowds of
devoted fans around the area. When they are put in contact with European
fan who wants to organise a tour for the band, the hope for another shot
at fame is renewed.
What
follows is a journey that starts off promising, but quickly turns very
bad. Fees don’t get paid, transport is arranged incompetently, and the
band plays to tiny crowds in tiny venues. Even after all this, Lips is
still convinced the band can triumph and goes about financing the
recording of a new album by himself. Lips and Reiner’s friendship is put
through the wringer multiple times, yet each time the band hits a new
low or they have a heated argument they return with an even stronger
desire to succeed. This deep relationship is the heart of the film, and
Lips’ energy will keep the viewer invested in the fate of the band, no
matter how dire it looks. Both Lips and Reiner never grate, and never
seem like rock stars with a misplaced sense of entitlement. They are two
of the more sincere leads seen in film recently, and even though they
could be seen as two men with a crippling Peter Pan complex, they never
come off like that.
Anvil!
The Story of Anvil does not require knowledge of metal music or the band
at all. Of course long standing fans of Anvil will certainly get the
most out of this film, but it is accessible to anyone. Anvil! is a story
about following dreams, and constant perseverance. It is at times
gruelling, at times heart breaking. It is also optimistic and never
fails to be entertaining. The DVD contains no special features, but the
film itself deserves a look, if only to see one of the more legitimate
and caring friendships of modern film. |
