Sure, there is an infectious goofiness in watching a grown man in a red robe and Hello Kitty breastplate rock out on an imaginary ax. But the gag is spread pretty thin.
Air Guitar Nation (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:14
Fresh:12
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.2/10
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... 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 live out their dreams on a quest to become the world champion in a strange world where musical ability plays second fiddle to virtual virtuosity. As the film un-reels, two aspiring rock legends strum and strut their way towards glory and the coveted national title. C. Diddy (David Jung), a samurai warrior clad in a "Hello Kitty'' breast plate and red kimono, emerges as an early favorite. But his arch nemesis from the Lower East Side, Björn Türoque (Dan Crane), is not far behind. While C. Diddy threatens to unleash his self-professed "Asian Fury'' on his competitors, Björn vows to take Diddy down. As the film reaches its climax, the future of Air hangs in the balance; will Björn's technical prowess, stage presence, and airness1 be enough to take him to the top, or will C. Diddy conquer all to become America's first supreme being of Air Guitar? Full of triumph and disappointment, patriotic spirit and political tension—and, of course, invisible guitars— AIR GUITAR NATION and filmmaker Alexandra Lipsitz take audiences on an inspiring, exhilarating, and ultimately hilarious journey that delves deep to find out what it truly takes to become the best in the world and find the inner meaning of the chant, "Make Air, Not War." [More]
Starring: David S. Jung, Dan Crane, Gordon Hintz, Zac Munro
Starring: David S. Jung, Dan Crane, Gordon Hintz, Zac Munro
Director: Alexandra Lipsitz
Director: Alexandra Lipsitz
Producer: Anna Barber, Jane Lipsitz, Dan Cutforth
Studio: Shadow Distribution
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Reviews for Air Guitar Nation
In this pitch-perfect documentary about the very real rise of air guitar competition in the United States, and two of its top performers, stony thoughts will arise as to whether one is suddenly trapped inside a satire that got wrapped in a reality.
The suggestion is that C-Diddy can be seen as a sort of ambassador for the 'make air, not war' sentiment. Why not? Even as real ambassadors go, we could do worse.
A favorite on the film festival circuit, Alexandra Lipsitz's exuberantly funny documentary follows the triumphant path of an American air guitarist as he rises from U.S. East Coast champ to the top rankings of the international air guitar festival.
It's one of the charms of Air Guitar Nation that much of it plays like a mockumentary in which you're not quite sure who's pulling your leg. But it's real, even if the guitars are not.
It's hard not to grin and admit that, yes, this is almost an art form.
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.
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.
It's no small feat to film a documentary like this with the right balance of reverence for the craft of air guitar and good, old-fashioned shooting at an easy target, but Lipsitz pulls it off.
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.
Alexandra Lipsitz's often hilarious documentary (with almost everyone in on the joke) won the audience award at SXSW and is spawning a cult following that could snowball in release.
Latest News for Air Guitar Nation
August 28, 2007:
RT on DVD: Blades of Glory, Air Guitar Nation, and Heroes: Season 1 Arrive!
It's an exciting week to be a fan of NBC's Heroes (we vote Petrelli -- Peter Petrelli!) but the uninitiated also have rival figure skaters, real-life air guitarists, and plenty... More...
April 26, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
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March 22, 2007:
Critical Consensus: "TMNT" Gets Shredded; "Mimzy" Is Mixed; "Shooter" Misses; "Reign" Shines; "Pride" Sinks; Guess "Hills" Tomatometer!
This week at the movies we've got turtle power ("TMNT"), whimsy ("The Last Mimzy," starring Timothy Hutton), conspiracies ("Shooter," starring Mark... More...
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