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Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Documentary · Music · 2008

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.

Movie details

Anvil! The Story of Anvil

“At fourteen, they made a pact to rock together forever. They meant it.”

2008 Documentary · Music 1h 21m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.9 / 10

17.2K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

98 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

82 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

7.6 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Anvil! The Story of Anvil?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Sacha Gervasi

Written by

Sacha Gervasi

Steve 'Lips' Kudlow

Steve 'Lips' Kudlow

Self - Lead Guitar

Robb Reiner

Robb Reiner

Self - Drummer

Kevin Goocher

Kevin Goocher

Self

Glenn Gyorffy

Glenn Gyorffy

Self

W

William Howell

Self

T

Tiziana Arrigoni

Self - Manager

Slash

Slash

Self

Court is in session

Put Anvil! The Story of Anvil on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.