DETROIT ROCK CITY RATING: 8 / 10 --> Great movie
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Every summer, there is at least one movie that gets caught in the landslide of film releases, and gets lost in the shuffle. Unfortunately for DETROIT ROCK CITY, it appears as though it has fallen victim to the BLAIR WITCH hype, a lousy marketing campaign, and the lack of "name" stars to attract its first weekend audience. But don't let that discourage you, folks...this is one fun movie!!!
PLOT: Set in the late 70s, four wryly teenage boys spend an entire day and night trying to get to Detroit to attend a KISS concert. On their way, they are led astray by various obstacles including Elvis the hall monitor, the church-loving mom, Disco geeks and their own stupidity. Rock 'n roll music burns throughout.
CRITIQUE: I had a blast at this movie!!! This is a fast-paced, rock 'n roll soundtrack-induced joyride of nostalgia, hilarity, camera tricks and fun times! I loved this movie the whole way through, starting with its wonderful collage of 70s memorabilia credits, the plentitude of references and in-jokes to all things from that time period, the dead-on performances from all of its stars, and of course, its satisfyingly predictable finale. I laughed a lot during this movie, but I was also entranced by the plight of these kids. I don't think I've ever seen anyone so determined to get anything in my entire movie-going life! Anyone who's ever had to fight for something they badly wanted, should be able to relate to these bad-lucked geeks.
And yes, I also loved the filming style of director Adam Rifkin which went way over-the-top but managed to mushroom into a perfect match to the rock music, the "we don't give a fuck" attitude, and all of the wonderfully cartoonish characters. I'll admit that nostalgia surely had a hand to play in my over-exuberance for this movie, and maybe I'm just a sucker for shit, dope and puke jokes, but there was definitely more to this picture than just those simple factors. All of the actors played their parts flawlessly with the mom (Lin Shaye) and pothead friend Trip (James DeBello) standing a little above the rest. The soundtrack was superb, with a constant stream of songs from the 70s bursting through the background. The settings were also ideal, with the little touches certifying much authenticity, and more than anything, the enjoyable, self-mocking style, along with the fun-loving plight of the youngsters, made this movie an all-around good time. Much like a moving comic book.
As you can see, the band KISS is not really a major player in this movie...more like the goal. Now I may be going out on a limb here, but I predict that this film will find its success in the realm of cult film status. Natch.
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars: KISS members: Bassist Gene Simmons' real name is Chaim Witz, and he is born in Haifa, Israel. Singer/guitarist Paul Stanley was born in Queens, New York, and his real name is Stanley Eisen. Guitarist Ace Frehley hails from the Bronx, New York, with his full name coming in at Paul Frehley. While drummer Peter Criss hails from Brooklyn, New York, and used to be called Peter Crisscoula. Shannon Tweed, the actress who seduces Edward Furlong's character in this movie, was once married to Gene Simmons, the bassist from KISS. She was also Playboy Playmate of the year in 1982, and sired two kids with the long-tongued man. She's originally from St-John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Gene Simmons has also dated actress/singer/all-around weirdos Cher and Diana Ross. Edward Furlong got involved in a live-in relationship with his former tutor, Jacqueline Domac, at the age of 15 (she was 27 at the time). She recently went to the courts to request 15 percent of Edward's earnings for the last 3 years for abuse and breach of contract. Natasha Lyonne's real name is Natasha Braunstein. She is currently known to be dating co-star Edward Furlong. Porn star Ron Jeremy, known to have a big dick, played the part of the strip joint announcer in this film. He also had a small part in director Adam Rifkin's 1994 film, THE CHASE. The IMDb lists him as having been in at least 500 porno movies. Wow. Now that's a lot of porn! The budget for this film was approximately $15 million, and was filmed entirely in Canada. Much was done in and around Toronto, including the Cedabrae Collegiate Institute (high school) in suburban Toronto. The concert scene was filmed at Copp's Coliseum in nearby Hamilton, Ontario. Pain in the butt mom, Lin Shaye, has been a staple in all Farrelly Brothers films. She played the "old lady" Magda, in THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (7.5/10), the infamous "landlady" in KINGPIN (8.5/10), and Mrs. Neugeboren in DUMB AND DUMBER (7.5/10). Marijuana-head, James DeBello, who plays "Trip" in this movie, also had the part of "enthusiastic guy" in the summer of 1999's big teen hit AMERICAN PIE (7/10). Director Adam Rifkin has also been known to act in many of his own films, and has also written several side projects. He was one of the co-writers on SMALL SOLDIERS, and wrote 1997's kid flick THE MOUSE HUNT (6.5/10) all by himself. First-time screenwriter Carl V. Dupré, was once the assistant editor on such classic films like TOP DOG, LEPRECHAUN 2, and BARB WIRE. Giuseppe Andrews also co-starred opposite Edward Furlong, in one of 1998's best films, AMERICAN HISTORY X (8.5/10). He portrayed the character of Jason. Some of you many remember the drummer in this film, Sam Huntington, from his starring role in Disney's 1997 film, JUNGLE 2 JUNGLE.
Review Date: August 18, 1999
Director: Adam Rifkin
Writer: Carl V. Dupré
Producers: Gene Simmons, Kathleen Haase and Barry Levine
Actors: Edward Furlong as Hawk
Sam Huntington as Jam
James DeBello as Trip
Giuseppe Andrews as Lex
Lin Shaye as Mrs. Bruce
Genre: Comedy
Year of Release: 1999
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(c) 1999 Berge Garabedian
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