Listen up folks, because you're about to get a lesson in Canadian heavy metal history.  In 1984, already together for nearly a decade, Brampton rockers Anvil got their big shot at fame. They had the record deal. They played the big festivals. They saw the world. And, frankly, they failed. Though they were hugely influential on future rock gods who would eventually turn up in the likes of Metallica, Anthrax and G'n'f'n'R their breakthrough never happened, they never had a big hit, and they faded quietly into obscurity.  Were they ahead of their time? Victims of bad management? Simply not good enough? Who knows, but they soon dropped off the public radar.

But perhaps saying they faded quietly away isn't quite accurate. Because unlike many bands that try and fail Anvil simply refused to give up. Thirty years later, commercial success may be just as elusive as ever but the founding members are still together, still rocking, and now the subject of a HUGELY entertaining documentary.

Helmed by Sacha Gervasi, Anvil! The Story Of Anvil is an intimate look inside the band and it's two main players - drummer Robb Reiner and singer / guitar player Steve (Lips) Kudlow - from a long time fan who just happens to be a very accomplished film maker (he wrote The Terminal for Steven Spielberg) given an incredible degree of access over a very long period of time. At times, these fifty-something year old men who simply refuse to give up the dream seem so absurd that it's hard to believe that this isn't some sort of spoof a la Spinal Tap but this is all real, so much so that two of the more colorful long-term fans actually showed up at the screening I booked at Canadian Music Week a couple weeks back, and ultimately one incredibly entertaining and uplifting look at the importance of dreams - no matter how unlikely.

The irony here, of course, is that while Anvil may have failed to succeed musically their lack of success has now given them a profile far beyond what their music ever did. The film has been a huge hit on the festival circuit, opens in limited release here in Canada on Friday and will roll out in the United States with a series of screenings and live performances sponsored by VH1. Failure never looked so good. Take a look at the trailer and book your tickets. You won't regret it.