Cast: Edward Furlong, Sam Huntington, James DeBello, Giuseppe Andrews, Natasha Lyonne, Melanie Lynskey, Lin Shaye, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss
Director: Adam Rifkin
Producers: Kathleen Haase, Barry Levine, Gene Simmons
Screenplay: Carl V. Dupré
Cinematography: John R. Leonetti
Music: J. Peter Robinson, KISS
U.S. Distributor: New Line Cinema
Expectedly, there is going to be a wide split in opinion regarding Detroit Rock City, the story of four teenagers who try almost anything to get into a KISS concert in 1978 Detroit. Those who are/were KISS fans or have an affinity for their brand of '70s rock-and-roll will see this motion picture as a comic and musical tour de force. Almost everyone else will view this as just the latest film to rely on bad taste, crass behavior, and lobotomized characters to generate a few laughs. As is usually the case, the reality is probably somewhere in between. What everyone can agree upon, however, is that Detroit Rock City possesses three characteristics: an irreverent attitude, a high energy approach, and a loud soundtrack. While these qualities don't necessarily add up to a good movie, they keep the proceedings from becoming dull.
Detroit Rock City makes a blatant appeal to the Generation X sense of nostalgia. KISS was inarguably one of the biggest rock bands of the late '70s, winning a devout following of teenagers and twenty-somethings with their brand of music. During the years when rock fought a pitched battle against disco for airwave dominance, the four members of KISS (Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss) stood on the front lines. They became such a pop phenomenon that their painted faces could be found everywhere from posters in novelty shops to action figures and comic book covers. And they became the target of conservative religious groups who were certain they were agents of the Devil come to corrupt the youth of America.
Director Adam Rifkin and screenwriter Carl Dupré weave all of this into Detroit Rock City, and punctuate it with an endless stream of late-'70s references. The opening credits display a montage of clips from the decade, showing everything from The Fonz to Jimmy Carter's smiling face. Throughout the film, there are nods to The Carpenters, Saturday Night Live, disco fashion, pre-AIDS sexual promiscuity, and the wide availability of drugs. In fact, the primary difference between this and other set-in-the-'70s movies is that the soundtrack is comprised primarily of "hard" songs as opposed to the often-recycled likes of "Dancing Queen" and "Stayin' Alive."
Detroit Rock City is basically a road movie following the misadventures of four teenage potheads. This results in a level of comedy that is heavy on dumb humor and gross-out jokes. The most memorable scene involves alcohol, male stripping, and profuse vomiting. It's in about the worst taste imaginable, and rivals anything in American Pie for potential offensiveness and audacity. I am often unimpressed by lowbrow comedy, but I will admit to having laughed during this sequence (and this is not necessarily something I'm proud of). Far less effective are Detroit Rock City's attacks on the religious right, who are represented here by the forces of MATMOK (Mothers Against The Music of KISS). These militant women think the band's name stands for "Knights In Satan's Service" and organize a demonstration outside of Detroit's Cobo Hall. We've seen this kind of caricatured portrayal often enough that it has lost its comic edge and become tiresome. This isn't inventive satire; it's stale. (It's worth noting that South Park did some interesting things with the same idea by pushing the envelope in a way that Detroit Rock City doesn't come close to.)
The four protagonists are Jam Bruce (Sam Huntington, from Jungle2Jungle), Hawk (Edward Furlong, recently in American History X), Trip (James DeBello) and Lex (Giuseppe Andrews). These friends are die-hard KISS fanatics, and, once they obtain tickets to a big concert, they plan to make the pilgrimage from Cleveland to Detroit to watch their heroes in action. But Jam's mother (Lin Shaye), determined to keep her son off the path to hell, finds and destroys the tickets. That doesn't stop the boys, however, who are confident they can find some way into the concert, whether it involves winning a radio contest, robbing a little kid, selling their bodies, or sneaking past security. In the process, Jam falls in love (with classmate Beth, played by Heavenly Creatures' Melanie Lynskey), Hawk becomes the boy toy of an older woman (Shannon Tweed), Trip is an unlikely hero, and Lex saves a disco girl (Natasha Lyonne) from a pair of chop shop bullies.
In the end, the members of KISS make an appearance in the flesh (not surprising, since Gene Simmons is listed as a producer). Even their copious makeup cannot entirely hide the fact that 20 years have passed since their heyday. The camera avoids dwelling on them for long, but it's still possible to notice their wider midsections and less smooth faces. Still, this is the right way to wrap up the film. Using old concert footage or hiring a younger quartet of stand-ins would have been a cheat to viewers, especially those who identify themselves as KISS fans. And, since that group is likely to comprise the bulk of Detroit Rock City's audience, this approach is clearly the right one.
The bottom line is that Detroit Rock City falls into the same niche as most other movies with a narrowly targeted viewership - it will delight fans while leaving others shrugging in indifference. Nothing in this film is likely to entice or alienate casual movie-goers. It's basically another raunchy teen comedy leavened with elements of nostalgia and a rock soundtrack. - far from the top of the class, but not at the bottom, either.
© 1999 James Berardinelli