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Air Guitar Nation
Docurama / Shadow Distribution Inc.


8.2

based on 15 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 9 votes
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MPAA RATING: R for some language and brief nudity

Starring Dan Crane, Gordon Hintz, David S. Jung, and Zac Munro

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. (Docurama Films)

GENRE(S):	Documentary
DIRECTED BY:	Alexandra Lipsitz
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: August 28, 2007 Theatrical: March 23, 2007
RUNNING TIME:	81 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

When C-Diddy (a.k.a. David Jung), in his samurai superman suit, does his note-perfect, lip-twisting, belly-jiggling manic mime of Extreme's ''Play With Me,'' it's hard not to grin and admit that, yes, this is almost an art form.

Village Voice Rob Nelson

My long strums are pretty f---ing tight," gushes one faux-ax-stroker in this slick, hilarious, and at times even suspenseful ode to competitive mock-rock and/or the further decline of Western civ.

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

I don't know whether to call it interpretive dance for dudes or performance art or just a highly developed form of wanking. Who cares? It seriously rocks.

Newsweek David Ansen

The nutty thing is, by the end of this jolly, oddly compelling and genuinely suspenseful documentary, the ridiculousness of such notions seems open to genuine debate.

Austin Chronicle Toddy Burton

Flat out, Air Guitar Nation (winner of the Audience Award at South by Southwest 06) is a damn good time.

San Francisco Chronicle Justin Berton

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. Or vice versa, man.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Without their efforts, ordinary moviegoers would never know that air-guitar competitors must craft a series of one-minute routines, some to songs they've only just heard, or that their efforts are judged on the 4.0 to 6.0 scale used to rank competitive figure skaters. Important to know? No. Fascinating? Absolutely.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liz Clayton

The film manages to make surprisingly convincing gestures toward the power of communion, and indeed pantomime, that make the world shine a bit more hopeful.

The New York Times Matt Zoller Seitz

The movie's wild performances and droll humor are tough to resist.

Variety Ronnie Scheib

With equal measures of showmanship, patriotism and irony, hundreds vie at NYC's Pussycat Lounge for the East Coast Division of the first-ever nationwide air guitar championship for the right to eventually represent the U.S. at the world championship.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

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.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

There are occasional moments of wisdom, drama and emotion, but we never quite forget the blunt confession of one of the founders of the world championship, who admits that the whole thing began as a joke. Psst, buddy: it still is.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Director Alexandra Lipsitz doesn't do much more than chronicle the noise, but it's intermittently fun stuff.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Documentarian 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.

Boston Globe Janice Page

A semiserious documentary about a cult of performance art that until recently was never meant to be taken seriously.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Marc K. gave it a4:
I didn't think it was possible that such an interesting and exciting subject could yield such a boring film. But that's what happened. Bjorn Toroque was a complete jerk, and C-Diddy lacked any charisma.

Tim M gave it a10:
This movie was freakin hilarious... and for a brief moment... in one of the competition montages... i felt the essence of humanity and soul raining down on me like pellets of ice from a dark, ominous sky... and for the rest of it, i laughed my face off. Even my girlfriend, who was extremely skeptical when i put this in her player, was cheering by the end. Glorious.

Roger T. gave it a10:
This movie was beyond hilarious. I went into it a skeptic, thinking, this must be a a joke...but I totally got sucked in and loved it. The soundtrack rocks and the whole thing is just insanely funny.

Johnny D. gave it a0:
This movie is a serious waste of time. Air guitar? Yeah right. Of course this movie attempts to humor the audience, but clearly fails.

Addy T. gave it a10:
This movie is extremely entertaining and by far the most fun I have ever had watching a documentary! Air Guitar rocks!!!! Make Air not War!

Mary A. gave it a10:
This grandma LOVED the film and can't wait to tell her family that Nona rocked out over the music and clever editing of this hilarious documentary with a message... More air guitar less guns!!

Air Guitar Nation Docurama / Shadow Distribution Inc.

Air Guitar Nation
Docurama / Shadow Distribution Inc.