75
You won't be seeing any stretch Hummers, wild late night parties and 75,000 seat arena shows in this documentary, but that's what makes this so good.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
80
From the too-good-to-be-true desk comes this loving and hilarious portrait of Spinal Tap-esque Canadian metal band Anvil, who were briefly a hard-rock sensation in the early '80s (mainly for the song "Metal on Metal") and have been struggling along in total obscurity ever since.
70
New York Magazine (Vulture) by David Edelstein
The documentary is solid as … as … an anvil. And if you can forget Spinal Tap (hard), it's also rather touching the way these 50-year-olds still have the forged-in-fire fortitude.
80
Well-shot and edited, Anvil! is an underdog saga even non-metalheads will root for. It tows that fine line between chuckling at its protags' somewhat absurd situation and celebrating their sheer unwillingness to give up.
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Liam Lacey
Surprisingly touching and funny.
91
Yet in his despair, there's something Kudlow misses, and it's what makes Anvil! as moving as it is hilarious.
100
Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman
It's a hilarious, and unexpectedly moving, documentary about the greatest metal band you've probably never heard of.
88
Rolling Stone by Peter Travers
Want to find the heart of rock & roll? You can hear it thundering in Anvil.