ROB Reiner’s 1984 mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap” and Sacha Gervasi’s new “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” have a lot in common.
But there’s one major difference: Anvil is a real-life, living and breathing heavy-metal band in Toronto.
Not exactly as well known as Megadeth or Metallica, Anvil did indeed have 15 minutes of fame back in the 1980s. Then it went into obscurity. Now it’s back, trying like hell to be somebody.
The inspirational doc concentrates on the group’s founders and mainstays, lifelong buds Steve “Lips” Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner (yes, Robb Reiner), now long-haired, weather-
beaten 50-somethings with wives and kids and dead-end jobs.
(Frontman Kudlow is known for his onstage accessories: a leather harness and other S&M gear, and a strange use for a dildo.)
Gervasi tags along when the band tours Europe — including stops in Transylvania, Prague and Budapest — in a comeback bid.
Trouble abounds — the guys get lost and ripped off — courtesy of their inept manager. But is Anvil ready to give up?
Don’t bet your favorite Guns N’ Roses album on it.
ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL Rock of ages. Running time: 80 minutes. Not rated (mature stuff). At the Empire and the Angelika.