Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008)

August 7, 2023 10:45 AM

[TRAILER] At 14, best friends Robb Reiner and Lips made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, hailed as the "demi-gods of Canadian metal" influenced a musical generation that includes Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. Following a calamitous European tour, Lips and Robb, now in their fifties, set off to record their 13th album in one last attempt to fulfill their boyhood dreams.

A film by Sacha Gervasi.

98% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

JustWatch.

box was kind enough to support MeFi with a donation. Their request was for six films about musicians, either biopics or doc. That was too easy, so I'm doing six of each. I'll be using the tag #MusicianStories

Donate $25 or more to MeFi and you can MeMail me a request for a themed day of your own. I'll fill up the sidebar on FF with six movies that fit your theme.

posted by DirtyOldTown (8 comments total)

This is actually on my 1001 list, although I probably won't be getting to it for a while yet....
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:18 AM on August 7, 2023

It's really delightful. It's better understood as a warm look at fighting for your dreams than as a heavy metal movie.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:26 PM on August 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

I've wanted to see this ever since seeing the poster for it at a local theater that tried (without much success and therefore for not very long) to do the Alamo Drafthouse thing locally. Someone that I know who did see it described it as "This Is Spinal Tap, but an actual real band."
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:52 AM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

They're still touring
posted by mcstayinskool at 8:16 AM on August 8, 2023

I found it far more entertaining than I had imagined I would. Their dogged determination in the face of bad luck and lost chances is something to behold.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:55 AM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

Yeah it is surprisingly sweet movie about a couple of hapless hosers from working class Southern Ontario trying their best at making metal.
posted by Ashwagandha at 6:20 AM on August 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

I've seen this movie (it's great), but how...HOW am I just figuring out that the drummer of this, the most Spinal Tap of all real-life bands, is named Robb Reiner.
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:16 AM on August 9, 2023 [2 favorites]

Finally watched it tonight. This movie is Good for the Jews! Loved learning the Jewish-Canadian back story. Along with being a sweet movie about a couple of hapless hosers, it's a great love story about those hapless hosers. What a beautiful story of male friendship. 10/10 would watch again!
posted by latkes at 9:21 PM on September 12