You may have stumbled across this article and asked yourself, “Hey Chaz, just what IS Air Sex anyway?” Well, let me enlighten you. Think of all the fun you’ve had by playing air guitar with your friends, no instruments, but you’re playing along to the song. You are the Master of your Rocking Domain! Now put yourself in a similar circumstance, just this time, you’re strumming an invisible body, instead of an instrument. That’s one of the core aspects of Brian Poyser‘s, ‘Love & Air Sex;’ but it’s far from what the whole movie is about.

TheBBDay9-341.CR2 The film follows Stan (Michael Stahl-David) and Cathy (Ashley Bell), as they travel to Austin to visit their friends Jeff (Zach Cregger) and Kara (Sara Paxton). The movie opens with a bit of back story with Stan and Cathy’s first date, and follows their relationship as it blossoms and ultimately ends when Stan moves to L.A. and Cathy gets accepted to Medical School in New York. This pilgrimage to Austin is what sets the stage for the rest of the film.

You see that neither Stan nor Cathy are especially happy about being apart. They haven’t talked to each other in months and they’re both very raw. Austin is Stan’s plan to reach out to Cathy, and her plan to put the past behind her. Austin is an amazing back drop in the film, and Poyser does a fantastic job of making it its own character throughout the film. Each locale that the jilted couple visits, tells a story about their past, and what’s to come in their future.

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Along the way, Stan and Cathy are kept apart from their friends and end up meeting other members of the opposite sex. What was really delightful about this film, is that it ignored the normal romantic comedy conventions and kept you on your toes as to who would end up with/hook up with who. Not to mention that the film was extremely raunchy as well.

I never really thought of what an Air Sex competition would be like, but let me tell you, it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen. Jeff becomes a character known as ‘F*%kasaurus Sex’ and what he considers “sex” is pretty outta control. It was a really great way to break up some of the serious parts in the film but still keep it realistic. I wouldn’t be surprised if Air Sex shows take off after the movie premieres.

I think what made the film work so well was the casting. Everyone played their roles very believably. I truly felt that I could see all these characters in real life. I’ve only seen Ashley Bell in The Last Exorcism, and this was a vastly different role. Not only was she not possessed by a demon, she was quite adorable as Cathy. I had already enjoyed Michael Stahl-David from Cloverfield, but this was a really good chance for him to show more of his emotional range while surrounded by some colorful characters.

Zach Creggers, Jeff, was the typical best friend/dude/bro but he played the character with a lot of heart. He was hilarious and a friend til the end to Stan. My favorite character was definitely Kara though. The last time I saw Sara Paxton was in Ty West’s, The Innkeepers, and this was a vastly different character for her. She kept up with the raunchiness of the boys, and played a good polar opposite to Bell’s character. When she finally got up on stage and performed Air Sex herself, she stole the show and the competition!

The screenplay by David DeGrow Shotwell, Steven Walters, Bryan Poyser did a great job at not being too talky and letting things linger too much; which you often see more in independent films. Everything flowed well, and the film ended in a way where the audience was satisfied. At least THIS audience member was!

Love & Air Sex is being distributed by Tribeca Films and will make it’s way to VOD on TODAY, and to theaters on the 7th. You can check out the trailer below!

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Rating: B+

~Chaz

love & air sex poster