Anvil! The Story of Anvil is the true story of the failing 80’s real life “Spinal Tap”. Having said that, don’t go into this hoping to see miniaturized European landscapes, cucumbers wrapped in tin foil or any sort of amp that goes to eleven because you won’t. Unlike Spinal Tap, Anvil is a real band, consisting of real people. They have lives outside the band and the footage portrays both sides of this Canadian-hailing rock band. At home, the Canadian dreamers live in hardship; nine to fives, wife and kids to feed, and the longing for recognition. Here is the heart of the film.

No matter what genre of music you listen to, these are people you can relate to and the film does a good job of displaying the humanity of the characters as well as their determination. When they’re on the road, however, they put on a personality, which is both the mimicry of Spinal Tap antics and the furiously frustrated. Some times the lead singer reminded me of the Incredible Hulk, calm and relaxed one minute, a raging hunk of biological experiment the next.

So, after having watched this documentary, and though it does have some flaws like any other documentary, I can recommend it to any one looking for a documentary with heart and to those who are fine with spending their afternoon gawking at VH1 documentaries. – [DVD]

Documentary/Music

Not Rated

DVD Release Date: 10/6/09

Tags: , , ,