Critic Reviews
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David Jenkins, Time Out
A nuts-and-bolts document of the annual Air Guitar World Championships which take place in the rural outpost of Oulu in Finland.
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John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
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.
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Tom Keogh, Seattle Times
The film's action footage -- lots of men and women thrashing around with a theoretical Fender in hand -- gets pretty tedious after a while. There is only so much self-inflicted embarrassment one can bear watching.
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Justin Berton, San Francisco Chronicle
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.
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Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
It's a limited movie, from the musical palette the performers choose, to the number of players the movie spends time with.
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Janice Page, Boston Globe
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.
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Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
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.
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Keith H. Brown, Eye for Film
When a documentary is as entertaining as Air Guitar Nation, you have to ask if you really need it to have redeeming social value or to advance the art form in any way.
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Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
This raucously entertaining documentary about one of the silliest competitions on the planet actually has a serious message about the power of "airness" to change the world. Well, maybe.
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Derek Malcolm, This is London
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.
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Sukhdev Sandhu, Daily Telegraph
Very funny.
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Xan Brooks, Guardian [UK]
Like most guitar solos, the film doesn't quite know when to quit.
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, Sun Online
Originality 0.9, Presentation 2.3 and Silliness 5.2.
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Kevin Maher, Times [UK]
Despite the film's admirable brevity it's still hard to maintain a wry ironic grin for a full 81 minutes.
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David Edwards, Daily Mirror [UK]
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.
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Saxon Bullock, Film4
A gloriously insane journey into the weirder reaches of rock, Air Guitar Nation is a funny, funky and oddly moving burst of lively factual entertainment.
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Catherine Chambers, BBC
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.
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Tom Hawker, Total Film
you will be entertained even if, in rock'n' roll terms, it's less satanic metal than cutesy chart pop.
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Olly Richards, Empire Magazine
A delightfully surreal look at a bizarre performance art.
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Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Hugely entertaining, frequently hilarious documentary with colourful, warm-hearted characters and an infectious energy that'll send you bouncing out of the cinema with a goofy grin on your face.
Read all 23 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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Air Guitar Nation is insanely entertaining. Honestly, I put this movie off for a long time thinking that there was no way I was going to be entertained or at all care about air guitar. But it's really easy to like and actually dare I say respect what they are doing. C-Diddy and… More
Air Guitar Nation is insanely entertaining. Honestly, I put this movie off for a long time thinking that there was no way I was going to be entertained or at all care about air guitar. But it's really easy to like and actually dare I say respect what they are doing. C-Diddy and Bjorn Turoque are really likable in their own weird way and that's what makes the movie as they are the prime focus of the documentary. Some of the things the players say and so just make you laugh and then you see they aren't laughing and you think, "Wait, Are they serious?" To some extent they are, but the good thing is they only do it to have fun and I have to say it's a lot of fun to watch them.
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This is a really fun movie to watch. It starts with a ridiculous premise, but eventually wins you over with its exhuberance and, I hate to say it, skill. Some of the guys who compete are really quite accomplished in thier strange field and are pretty impressive to watch. This movie is… More
This is a really fun movie to watch. It starts with a ridiculous premise, but eventually wins you over with its exhuberance and, I hate to say it, skill. Some of the guys who compete are really quite accomplished in thier strange field and are pretty impressive to watch. This movie is like watching multiple love letters to rock music, if not guitar aptitude. It's too bad that Dan Crane kind of comes off as a bit desperate and pathetic. He's not too bad, but his tenacity makes him kind of a tragic character.
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Terrific and funny. Had me giggling the entire time.
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On a scale between 4.0 and 6.0, I give it a 5.8! What an interesting film! This "mockumentary" film ranks up there with "Murderball" and "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters", really defining this genre of movies at the top of the ranks. This is… More
On a scale between 4.0 and 6.0, I give it a 5.8! What an interesting film! This "mockumentary" film ranks up there with "Murderball" and "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters", really defining this genre of movies at the top of the ranks. This is top-notch entertainment, you can't script better characters. If you haven't seen "C-Diddy" perform, then you're just missing out.
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Entertaining and fun documentary on the air guitar championships of 2003.
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