(New Video/Docurama, 95 Minutes)
www.newvideo.com

Exactly why anyone should give a hot fuck about a bunch of dudes pretending to play masturbatory guitar—okay, wait. It’s clear what’s so great about the air guitar craze and this documentary of such: Air guitar is about expression, tapping into the unhinged, nutcase wannabe rocker inside because, although we may lack talent, it’s still fun to pretend. Filmmaker Alexandra Lipsitz followed C. Diddy (a Korean-American actor and first U.S. Air Guitar champ) and Björn Türoque (scorned runner-up Dan Crane, a/k/a Jean-Luc Retard of French/not French indie rockers Nous Non Plus) as they took their onstage onanism to Finland for the 2003 Air Guitar World Championships to represent the U.S. for the first time, and what first appears to be a battle of the hams becomes something about five times as special as the frat-Olympics scene from Revenge of the Nerds. And while C. Diddy might be annoyingly loyal to Extreme’s “Play With Me,” and rely too much on ethnicity—he throws down clad in a samurai robe (mugging appropriately) and Hello Kitty backpack worn backward—he sure can shred air. And so can Björn and an ever-growing cabal of wannabes. And ultimately, Air Guitar Nation is jump-on-the-bed, raise-your-fist-and-wail fun.

Special features: Where Are They Now? featurette, deleted scenes.  RANDY HARWARD