Adventures of Power (2008)

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.

A rare comedy that has heart featuring a lovably awkward protagonist (Power) and 80's style humor wonderfully reminiscent of Wayne's World. Power as a character is definitely innocent yet eccentric in that same kind of Garth way. He's also very relatable on his quest to fulfill his passion, which in his case is to be a drummer even though he never played because he couldn't afford a drum set of his own. Adventures of Power is both silly and surprisingly powerful in moments. Without taking itself too seriously the film still manages to address serious social issues and intertwine it's own unique humor. Memorable scenes are thoughtfully edited to music with an undercurrent of social commentary on worker's right and class warfare that no one has really touched on in films so much recently, or done so in such a poetic way. The film also is full of amazing classic rock and has a nostalgia which is also rare to find. It carries an important message of following your own path and passion even when you can't afford to (or even when your parents disapprove of you). The kind of determination of Power, though in jest and good fun, make this an inspirational uplifting comedy for generations to come. I feel like this is the kind of film that seems really simple on the surface but actually has many layers. Definitely one to see more than once. A must see for the dreamer in all of us.

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.

I saw this film when my acting class was invited to give comments at a test screening. I loved it, it is hilarious and very touching movie. It reminds me of The Full Monty (English film) but more weird and more for kids or people my age. There is a lot of music in it, it's almost like a musical, but nobody sings fortunately.It was fun to see some new faces and also some you know (yes, Vince from Entourage is in it, but he is totally different, he is actually very funny!). I don't like American comedies so much but this one is much better, because you care about these crazy characters and their American dream.I can't wait to see it again when it comes out. I think they are editing a few things but i hope they don't change too much.My guy friends liked it a lot because it's sort of like a sports movie at times, but I was more into the message and the love story, but that's just me....!