Adventures of Power

2008 Comedy

A twentysomething misfit dedicates his life to giving the drummer some, even when the drums are only imaginary, in this comedy written and directed by comic Ari Gold. Power (Gold) grew up in a small mining town in New Mexico, where his father (Michael McKean) always imagined his son would one day join him in digging copper from the earth. But Power has a dream of playing the drums, and since he doesn't have a drum kit, he's become a master of "air drums," flailing his arms in the manner of Neil Peart or Keith Moon against a huge but nonexistent set of traps. Power's desire to become the world's greatest air drummer doesn't earn him much respect at home, so he travels to Mexico, where he learns of an air-drumming competition in Newark, NJ. Power hits the road for the garden state and meets Carlos (Steven Williams), a master air drummer who becomes his guide in the art of not really playing. Power also gets some much-needed encouragement from Annie (Shoshannah Stern), a sweet born-again girl living upstairs from him. But when Power learns that his father back home is leading a strike to save jobs for the employees at the local copper mine, winning the title becomes a matter of defending the honor of his family and his hometown, and he dedicates himself to defeating arrogant country music star Dallas Houston (Adrien Grenier), who is favored to win. Adventures of Power also stars Jane Lynch, Travis Johns, and Jimmy Jean-Louis. more..

Director: Ari Gold

Starring: Ari Gold, Michael McKean, Jane Lynch,Adrian Grenier, Shoshannah Stern

Reviews

  • Forgive the film its "Napoleon Dynamite" overquirk; a loving god is watching all, genuflected to on bedroom-wall posters and seen in the film's final five minutes--and if you're not a Rush fan, this is not your movie

    Joshua Rothkopf - Time Out New York

    29 November 2012

  • Sprinkled with moderately amusing comic moments, but basically your enjoyment of this film will be proportional to your tolerance for the one-joke phenomenon of air drumming.

    Neil Genzlinger - The New York Times

    29 November 2012

  • Adventures of Power just may teach the world that, as hard as it is to catch the wind, it's harder still to drum the air.

    - Los Angeles Times

    29 November 2012

  • Absurdist underdog yarn that feels positively Martian in its brand of tom-tomfoolery. Like a "Saturday Night Live" sketch gone on too long, Ari Gold's feature debut will tax unsuspecting viewers, while sending those on Gold's special wavelength into seizures of delight.

    - Variety

    29 November 2012

  • As a spoof of against-all-odds sports movies, "Power" has its moments. But for most of its running time, it buys into the feel-good formula, aiming to blend silliness and social issues into an inspirational tale

    - The Hollywood Reporter

    29 November 2012

Awards

  • Best Feature Film

    Fort Collins TriMedia Festival (2008)

  • Narrative Feature

    Memphis Indie Film Festival (2008)

  • Best Feature

    Vail Film Festival (2008)