Detroit Rock City (1999)

reviewed by
Ross Anthony


Longing for a good KISS (Concert)
Detroit Rock City
By Ross Anthony

Teenage pot-heads risk everything to make it to a KISS concert.

With a synopsis like that, a lot of you may shrug off this picture as cheap teen cheese. And for the first third, you'd be right. But like a discounted junkie that straightens out his life surprising everyone with some actual success, "Detroit Rock City" pulls itself out of high school mediocrity and into actual good moviedom.

Picking up where Cheech and Chong (1970's comics who relied heavily on weed for their humor, audience and perhaps inspiration) left off, "Detroit Rock City" begins with a basement rock band of high school burnouts hell-bent on finding their way into a local KISS concert. Mildly interesting during its setting, the little film seems to lack what it finds later on -- heart.

After a series of mishaps the four boys decide to split up and have a try at obtaining their individual "ins." This is where the story really takes off. Each stumbles across a find more valuable than that prized entrance. The film shows its true colors as a coming of age story.

One boy (Furlong) decides to enter a nearby male stripper contest. This scene is a laugh riot and deserves high praise.

Set in the 1970's and produced by Gene Simmons (among others), this scrawny little script eventually becomes a rich film.

Starring Giuseppe Andrews, James De Bello, Edward Furlong, Sam Huntington, Lin Shaye. Directed by Adam Rifkin. Written by Carl V. Dupre. Produced by Gene Simmons, Barry Levine, Kathleen Haase at Newline/Takoma/Base-12/Kissnation.

Grade..........................B+

-- Copyright © 1999 Ross Anthony, currently based in Los Angeles, has scripted and shot documentaries, music videos, and shorts in 35 countries across North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. For more reviews visit: http://RossAnthony.com


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