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ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVILMovie Reviews
Documentary about seminal Canadian metal band Anvil, who made one of the greatest metal albums in history and went on to influence a musical generation, but never made it big themselves. Cast:Steve "Lips" Kudlow, Robb ReinerDirector:Sacha GervasiRelease Date:April 10, 2009DVD Release:October 6, 2009From:Gold CircleLength:1 hr 20 min
OCTOBER 6, 2009
Anvil! The Story of Anvil, Outstanding Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
Anvil! The Story of Anvil played in key cities to outstanding reviews. • John Petkovic wrote in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, "...a touching, sweet bromance that transcends music." • And Shaula Clark wrote in the Boston Phoenix, "As Lips and Reiner strive for a comeback, they create a few 'Spinal Tap'–like moments, but 'Anvil' still resolves into the most satisfying film ending I've seen all year." More Reviews Below...
Anvil! The Story of Anvil Positive Reviews (36 Reviews, reviews below)
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a hilarious, and unexpectedly moving, documentary... Anvil! understands that the ultimate measure of metal stardom is to remain a legend in your own mind."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 435 words, 04/10/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING(cg) "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."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 499 words, 04/10/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...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."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 744 words, 04/10/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "If you're having a rough day, take solace from these middle-aged rockers, who brave untold setbacks purely because they insist on believing that some dreams never die."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 108 words, 04/10/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) " 'How many bands stay together for 30 years?' asks Slash of Guns N' Roses, in a backstage interview. 'You've got the Stones, the Who, U2 -- and Anvil.' Yeah. And Anvil."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 559 words, 04/23/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...excels at showing you the yearning, almost childlike enthusiasm that these men, especially Steve 'Lips' Kudlow, bring to their work and their quest for ever-elusive success..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 666 words, 04/10/09
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...inspirational doc concentrates on the group's founders and mainstays... now long-haired, weather-beaten 50-somethings with wives and kids and dead-end jobs."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 205 words, 04/10/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...succeeds every which way, as '80s metal nostalgia, as a twisted sort of reality-show attempt at a comeback, as an unexpectedly touching portrait of a friendship."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 489 words, 04/24/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Hilarious, heartbreaking and improbably inspirational, this documentary should be required viewing for anyone pursuing dreams of rock stardom - or dreams of any kind."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 325 words, 05/15/09
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...surprisingly touching and funny.... only 80 minutes long, but it packs a lifetime worth of drama, setbacks and especially friendship into its brief running time."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 711 words, 04/03/09
Camille Dodero, Village Voice: OUTSTANDING "Michael Moore is a fan, as is Keanu Reeves. Slayer's manager signed them, Coldplay's booker handles them, and Oasis's liaison represents them in the States."(See all of Camille Dodero's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 828 words, 04/08/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "After 'Spinal Tap' and 'Some Kind Of Monster' and all those episodes of 'Behind The Music,' there's nothing we haven't already seen.... But it's all real."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 193 words, 04/02/09
KEY CITIES (13 Reviews)
J. Freedom du Lac, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a devil's-horn salute -- to the band from filmmaker Sacha Gervasi, an old Anvil fan who became a sort of roadie-mascot for the group back when it was a semi-big deal."(See all of J. Freedom du Lac's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 883 words, 05/15/09
Peter Hartlaub, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a very funny documentary... 'Anvil' lives somewhere in that thoroughly entertaining gray area between self-parody and the triumph of human spirit."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 500 words, 05/29/09
Cary Darling, Dallas Morning News: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a winning and surprisingly moving documentary about a struggling Canadian heavy-metal band that apparently influenced a whole generation of hard-rockers..."(See all of Cary Darling's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 427 words, 05/29/09
Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...can't help but evoke 'This Is Spinal Tap' in terms of both sheer hair-metal ludicrousness and indignities suffered by a not-so-successful rock band on the road."(See all of Dan DeLuca's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 554 words, 04/24/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...manages the trick of portraying the band's predicament with blunt, cleareyed hilarity while simultaneously wishing them the very best."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 04/17/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Even if you consider heavy metal music a weapon of psychological torture, you'll be enthralled by this life-affirming hymn to cockeyed enthusiasm."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 619 words, 05/08/09
John Petkovic, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a touching, sweet bromance that transcends music.... The film's success has given the band a buzz it never had, even in the spandex."(See all of John Petkovic's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 396 words, 06/12/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a stirring and altogether unlikely tale... You may not care a lick for the music that Anvil plays (I don't), but you'll be captivated, entertained and even ennobled..."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 198 words, 04/24/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the amazing correlations between the band's story and a Hollywood satire make it one of the funniest films of the year. And ultimately one of the most touching."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 330 words, 04/24/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: EXCELLENT(cg) "...head-banging when you're 'too old to rock'n roll, but too young to die' is the inspiring feel-good message of Sacha Gervais' cute if predictable documentary."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 420 words, 05/29/09
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The tragicomedy of artistic striving has never been more grittily or more sweetly captured... exudes a boundless, generous humor."(See all of Michael Sragow's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 557 words, 05/22/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Want to find the heart of rock & roll? You can hear it thundering in Anvil, the Canadian metal band that influenced the likes of Metallica but never hit pay dirt."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 83 words, 04/03/09
Shaula Clark, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "As Lips and Reiner strive for a comeback, they create a few 'Spinal Tap'-like moments, but 'Anvil' still resolves into the most satisfying film ending I've seen all year."(See all of Shaula Clark's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 151 words, 04/16/09
Camille Dodero, Village Voice: OUTSTANDING "Michael Moore is a fan, as is Keanu Reeves. Slayer's manager signed them, Coldplay's booker handles them, and Oasis's liaison represents them in the States."(See all of Camille Dodero's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 828 words, 04/08/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "After 'Spinal Tap' and 'Some Kind Of Monster' and all those episodes of 'Behind The Music,' there's nothing we haven't already seen.... But it's all real."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 193 words, 04/02/09
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper: VERY GOOD "25 years after their heyday, Kudlow and Reiner are still making music and hoping for a break while working 9-to-5 jobs to support their families."(See all of Tricia Olszewski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 698 words, 05/14/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...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."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 744 words, 04/10/09
Joanne Kaufman, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "...a loopy, endearing documentary... Even if your taste runs more toward Mozart or Mel Tormé than Metallica, you'll be pulling for Anvil every step of the way."(See all of Joanne Kaufman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 373 words, 04/10/09
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: OUTSTANDING "The most stirring release of the year thus far... the emotion that swept the cinema, at the climax, seemed unanimous, binding, and true..."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,637 words, 04/13/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...excels at showing you the yearning, almost childlike enthusiasm that these men, especially Steve 'Lips' Kudlow, bring to their work and their quest for ever-elusive success..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 666 words, 04/10/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "...amusing without being condescending, touching without straining for pathos.... an underdog saga even non-metalheads will root for."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 573 words, 01/27/08
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...excels at showing you the yearning, almost childlike enthusiasm that these men, especially Steve 'Lips' Kudlow, bring to their work and their quest for ever-elusive success..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 666 words, 04/10/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...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."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 744 words, 04/10/09
Joanne Kaufman, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "...a loopy, endearing documentary... Even if your taste runs more toward Mozart or Mel Tormé than Metallica, you'll be pulling for Anvil every step of the way."(See all of Joanne Kaufman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 373 words, 04/10/09
10.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Anvil! The Story of Anvil's reviews are separated by an average 10.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (36 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Anvil! The Story of Anvil's reviews cover 65.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 17,394 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 483 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Anvil! The Story of Anvil Coverage, Volume & Length (36 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 4 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Anvil! The Story of Anvil's reviews on average broke 4 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Anvil! The Story of Anvil's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (36 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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