Glenn Gyorffy, Kevin Goocher, Robb Reiner
At fourteen years old, best friends Lips and Robb Reiner made a pact to rock together forever. Their band Anvil, hailed as the “demi-gods of Canadian metal,” influenced a musical generation including ...( read more
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Stats: 749 reviews
Flixster Reviews (749)
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October 17, 2009Boy does it feel good to give a movie four stars again! Funny, touching, and unexpectedly life affirming, this documentary had a smile on my face almost the entire time. Even if you're not interested in metal music, dont' let it deter you from seeing this film. It will make yo...( read more)
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October 12, 2009Heartfelt, funny, and passionate... "Anvil: The Story of Anvil" is a spectacular documentary about one band's 30 year quest of making the big time. It's also one of the most inspiring documents ever captured on film, and one of the greatest films about rock music and the music in...( read more)
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September 14, 2009A documentary following the metal band Anvil, who fell by the wayside when so many of their contemporaries made it big, it would have been easy to make this film from a sneering, derogatory standpoint; let's face it, men in their 50s in perms and spandex are an easy target. But r...( read more)
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June 26, 2009Touching tale of 'believing in the dream' and male bonding with a great 'odd couple' relationship at its heart. Beats Metallica's similar documentary because the leads are far more likeable and endearing.
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May 25, 2009Middle-aged rockers struggle to regain the spotlight in "Anvil! The Story the Anvil".
Don't fret if the band name doesn't ring any bells. Although highly successful and influential in the 80's, Anvil, the hair metal group from Toronto, has vanished largely into obscurity. When ...( read more) -
November 19, 2009Follows the two best friends as they have the opportunity to do a European tour with their band. Things don't work out the best, but for this band it doesnt stop anything as they have been together making music for 35 years. They hit their high point 25 years ago, but havent give...( read more)
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November 11, 2009Very enjoyable documentary perfect for a Sunday evening. The viewer get right behind the band whatever their personal music taste.
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November 7, 2009Excellent film. Enjoyed every minute of it. There was hardly nothing to dislike about this wonderful 90 minute Rockumentary about a down on its luck Canadian metal band of aging rockers.
Oscarworthy for best documentary I havent enjoyed a film this much in a while, its funny, he...( read more) -
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October 31, 2009This documentary (or rather, rockumentary) depicts the Canadian heavy metal band Anvil which achieved moderate success in the 80s, the film picks up with the band at a crossroads after twenty years of failure. The movie shows the band embarking on a pretty lousy European tour th...( read more)
Critic Reviews
May 7, 2009
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune
April 23, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a documentary about the moderate rise and long, long fall of their band, where musicians in the two other slots came and went, but Lips and Robb rocked on. full review
April 13, 2009
Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com
An outstanding rock documentary that is as funny/sad as it is revealing. full review
April 13, 2009
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker
The most stirring release of the year thus far. full review
April 10, 2009
Kurt Loder, MTV
The movie is an intoxicating blend of blind faith and heartbreak, but while it's very funny, the abundant laughs are only half of what makes it such an unexpectedly inspiring document. full review
April 10, 2009
A.O. Scott, The New York Times
The success of Anvil! The Story of Anvil lies in its ability to make you care about an enterprise you might initially have been inclined to laugh at. full review
April 9, 2009
Claudia Puig, USA Today
The biggest surprise is not the pervasive comedy in this compelling rockumentary. It's the poignant, even heartbreaking, moments that sneak up on you as the saga unfolds. full review
April 9, 2009
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Sacha Gervasi's powerhouse doc brings humor and fervent focus to Toronto musicians, supporting their families with day jobs, who won't give up the dream. full review
April 8, 2009
Armond White, The New York Press
After 1984's heavy-metal satire This Is Spinal Tap started the mockumentary craze, most documentary makers pandered to audiences through sarcasm and propaganda. But the true-life heavy-metal Anvil fin... full review
April 6, 2009
David Edelstein, New York Magazine
If you can forget Spinal Tap (hard), it's rather touching the way these 50-year-olds still have the forged-in-fire fortitude. full review
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