Stylish but barely mediocre overall

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

After opening up my laptop to watch the movie the Adventures of Power, the first image I saw was of the creator Ari Gold, who frankly came across as pretty lame. He was nervous,jittery, and had a weird sense of humor that didn't quite click with me. But, I thought, maybe the movie will be different. Best not to judge on first impressions, right? So I buckled down, started microwaving some Costco low fat popcorn, and settled down in my bed for what would be the longest hour and a half of my life.The entire movie requires a healthy dose of suspension of belief. In fact, the whole premise of the movie is ridiculous—sneaking off to go to illegal air drumming competitions in Mexico, getting picked up by an old Chinese couple in Newark and joining an air drumming team captained by a guy with no hands? Put all logic aside, folks, otherwise you're not going to make it to the end of this movie. Once we got to the part about Power's love interest, I had hope that maybe, just maybe, the movie was about to explore the tense relationship between the older generation and the youth, between a mother's guilt and her daughter's passion for rock and roll. But no, somewhere along the line the mother accepts the daughter's love for rock and roll for no apparent reason. Also, I can never again look at cereal in the same way. I've poured myself a bowl of cereal every day for the past two years, and today I decided to cook eggs instead, because the image of two awkward adults making out under pouring cereal boxes was too strong for me to bleach from my mind. I could find no real purpose for this motif other than disconnecting the audience from the characters as much as possible. Where did the cereal even come from? Does cereal just rain from the sky now? Despite the overall bizarre tone of the movie, there were some touching moments like when Power admits that "(he) can't go 20 more seconds than (his rival)" and the captain replies "maybe not, but you can at least earn us some respect out there." This was a surprisingly poignant and realistic quote underneath the general unrealistic tone set by the creator. The motif of labor unions vs big companies, the underdog vs the big shots, was also a main struggle of the movie, which was tense at times and certainly made the movie more realistic.All in all, probably one of the worst movies I've ever had the displeasure of watching, except for the adoption of the book Eragon, which was a train wreck. Despite my refusal to never watch the movie again, I don't think it's a horrible movie. It has its funny moments, though they are undercut by the general disconnect of the creator's humor with my own. If you're looking for a way to kill 1.5 hours of your life and have a really interesting conversation starter with someone, this just might be it.Side note: Review used for my MGMT395 class.

I first saw this film at a film festival, and then I saw it again at a fundraiser. It made me laugh so hard I cried--and my stomach hurt from laughing. I can't wait until more of my friends have seen this movie--there are so many great moments in the plot and funny one-liners that I can't tell them without spoiling the movie! One key scene near the end brought tears to my eyes because it was so moving. This is a MUST SEE for fans of the music of Rush, as well as anyone who loved This Is Spinal Tap, The Commitments, School of Rock or High Fidelity. Some excellent cameos. It's a comedy about music, and the underlying message is one of believing in oneself and one's dreams.

Wow, what a movie. Ever seen a movie about playing air guitar and wondered how about all the people i see out at the bars air drumming? Well you guessed right. There is a bunch obsessed with air drumming too.This one has all the elements for a rating of 10. It is painfully hilarious and at the same time it is very deep, and real life. It is intended all of us (and by that I mean ALL of us)who have a unique 'trait'/ a random whatever that others might look down on. You can't help to root for the main character but it is not as typical of a movie as that makes it sound to be.The main character reminded me of the naiveness of John Heder as Napoleon (and they do very strangely look like each other). This movie is all about identity, and it goes to prove that 2 people from completely different backgrounds and personalities can still share a common something.Shoshannah Stern ties this movie together, and just like the movie she has this incredible ability to be funny and sad at the same time. You really feel for her, as she feels for Power.For Adrian Grenier, it's like there was this one role I knew would be perfect for him and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. But here he is as a country star. One word = hilarious.If you are passionate about music (especially rock & roll), you should see this one asap.

If you've ever heard the classic Rush song "Tom Sawyer," you may have found yourself flailing your arms in a rhythmic motion known as "air drumming." Neil Peart, Rush's legendary drummer, casts a wicked spell, but if you've managed to avoid it, or think air drumming isn't cool, I give you – Power.Adventures of Power tells the comedic tale of a New Mexico mine worker named Power, who sets out to change the world through his love of drums. But he has never learned how to play. Instead, he air-drums at his aunt's bar on talent night. After participating in an underground "drum off" in Mexico, he is spotted by a trainer from New York and asked to train with the team. As his fellow mine workers fight for their rights back home, Power finds himself in the air-drum fight of his life against a formidable and despicable rival. Summoning strength from inner desire, Power learns what's been driving him his whole life: he doesn't need drums. He is drums.Having had three shorts in the Festival, Ari Gold returns with his feature debut and shows off his multifaceted talents of writing, directing, acting, and air drumming. Enlisting a terrific group of comedic actors, he has crafted a funny and charming tale of a man, his dream, and the passion that it takes to chase it. – Trevor Groth