More real than what it first seems, it’s hard to shake the feeling that this true story of an aging Canadian heavy-metal band is another faux documentary in the style of Christopher Guest. Is it the pantheon of demi-god rockers like Slash, Lemmy, and Lars testifying about the greatness of Anvil? Is it the goofy friendliness of leader “Lips” Kudlow, struggling for success and now working in a school-lunch distribution center? Is it the improbable ancient footage of Anvil performing at a 1980s Japanese rock festival which looks totally CGI’ed — but wait, that really is a much-younger Lips and his pal Robb Reiner, laced with leather harnesses strutting on the stage for a cheering crowd of headbangers.

The directing debut of Sascha Gervasi, a former teen Anvil roadie now a Hollywood screenwriter, Anvil! follows the band as they continue their quest for respect, gigs, honest metal, and their next album, This is Thirteen. “For such an amusing — often hilarious — movie, Anvil! can also be surprisingly touching. Even audiences who know little about heavy-metal and care less may find themselves engaged and engrossed. All the way, indeed, up to a genuinely suspenseful climax involving an unlikely return to something approaching the big-time.…An affectionate paean to the persistence and commitment of a couple of old-school blokes who refuse to accept that their time has passed and the world has moved on.” — Neil Young, jigsawlounge.co.uk