Alexandra Lipsitz believes that air-guitar competitions are worth a whole feature-length movie. She's wrong, of course. But the fun lasts longer than you might think.
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03/24/07
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Air Guitar Nation (2007)
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Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:61
Fresh:51
Rotten:10
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: It's up for debate how serious or ironic its subjects are, but Air Guitar Nation is nonetheless a funny and exciting documentary with a killer soundtrack.
Runtime: 81 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Theatrical Release:Mar 23, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: A battle of naked ambition played out on the national and, ultimately, world stage, AIR GUITAR NATION chronicles the birth of the U.S. Air Guitar Championships as legions of aspiring rock stars... [More]
Starring: David S. Jung, Dan Crane, Gordon Hintz, Zac Munro
Director: Alexandra Lipsitz
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Reviews for Air Guitar Nation
Top CriticClick to read the article
11/08/07
Originality 0.9, Presentation 2.3 and Silliness 5.2.
11/09/07
It's never clear from one moment to the next what is a joke and what is deadly earnest, until the two concepts finally merge into a sort of Buddhist singularity.
03/22/07
Top Critic[Some] may be taken aback by the exhibition of sheer ego in what is clearly a form of replacement therapy for those whose ambitions exceed their talents.
05/22/07
Air Guitar Nation is a wonderfully wild ride of a documentary, and the greatest trick of the picture is found in how it makes the audience succumb to the power of the sport.
03/22/07
Shot in a raw, grungy style that lends the film a degree of authenticity, AGN is a riff-roaring experience that rarely hits a bum note.
11/09/07
Although Air Guitar Nation is a documentary, Lipsitz stumbled across a couple of compelling characters in Jung and Crane, who are anything but n’air-do-wells.
03/23/07
When a documentary compels you to care about something that you didn't think you had any interest in, well... that rocks!
10/20/07
a fun enough goof to give it 90 minutes of your time as a feature film.
08/18/07
Put aside all of your preconceptions of air guitar as a hobby of shamelessly untalented wanna-be guitar players, and step into the world of competitive air guitar.
04/26/09
the film will be remembered for the overall sense of camaraderie overcoming competition, fraternity trumping rivalry, and the discovery of graciousness in victory and defeat
02/06/07
[A] jolly, oddly compelling and genuinely suspenseful documentary.
04/11/07
Top CriticWhen one character cheerfully announces he wants to "out-weird the world," we want to let him know we're right there for him.
04/24/07
While quite possibly the stupidest thing you’ve ever seen in your life, this documentary exploring the world of air guitar enthusiasts is a riot from start to finish.
11/09/07
A nuts-and-bolts document of the annual Air Guitar World Championships which take place in the rural outpost of Oulu in Finland.
11/09/07
There must be better, more useful ways of amusing themselves but obviously none which would allow them to strut the stage to the plaudits of a baying crowd like latter-day rock stars.
11/09/07
Air Guitar Nation is a very well-made film and it tells its story at a quick, even pace, but you really need to suspend your disbelief if you’re going to allow this film to fully wrap you in its charms.
10/16/07
As dumb as the idea of grown men dressing up and pretending to play guitar may be, there's no arguing that some of these grown men do so with a truly awesome degree of energy and flair.
03/23/07
Top CriticThe Finns take the whole thing pretty seriously, noting that if you hold an air guitar, it's impossible to simultaneously hold a gun or rifle. (I'm sure some hombre in a Peckinpah movie would be able to pull it off.)
03/30/07
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