They came. They saw. They rocked.

Detroit Rock City
1999 | Color | 1 Hr 35 Min | Comedy | R | New Line Cinema 

Director: 

Adam Rifkin

Writer: 

Carl V. Dupré

Stars: 

Edward Furlong

Giuseppe Andrews

James DeBello

Synopsis:

Four members of a high school band called Mystery do everything they can to attend a KISS concert in Detroit. In order to make it to the show, they must steal, cheat, strip, deal with an anti-rock mom and generally do whatever it takes to see the band that has inspired them to be musicians.

Ok it was finally my pick at camp and our cabin theme was Rock and Roll so I picked Detroit Rock City just to see if it holds up after all these years. You know what is odd about this coming of age rock fest? Adam Rifkin, you know the guy who wrote Underdog, Overboard, and Small Soldiers all solid flick's but when it comes to directing we get Chillarma's Wadzilla (Yeah its fantastic but have you seen it?) and Charlie Sheen's the Case. What I'm trying to say is the man is a genius in both Horror and Family Flicks yet Detroit Rock City is the perfect love letter to the rockers of the late 70's when disco was the shit. 

It's almost 20 years old and holds up like a true classic, from its killer young cast, the stellar soundtrack, and a backdrop that brings the 70's back into the living room. And let's not forget a still very beautiful Shannon Tweed (Gene Simmon's Partner) that show's up at right time. The movie never gets dull with smart writing by Carl V. Dupre who oddly has only given us a few movies two of them being the later of the Hellraiser series yet his writing keep's us moving through the day as we take the trip to Detroit. 

With plenty of Kiss merch everywhere it was fun to learn that the merch used in the film is from Gene Simmons personal collection. And of course, if you did not catch it the two girls in the movie are named Beth (Melanie Lynskey) and Christine, (Natasha Lyonne) a reference to the KISS songs "Beth" and "Christine Sixteen".  Plus this would make for a great drinking game as the words "fuck", "fucking" or "fucker" are said 83 in the short 90-minute runtime that leads to a ton of shots!

I loved Detroit Rock City the first time I watched it and I still love it 19 years later, its silly, its crude, and it helps stomp out disco. If you have not seen this flick what are you waiting for? This road trip buddy movie is fun from beginning to end. 

For me, it's still a solid...

4 out of 5

The movie did not give Steve the 70's vibe for him...

2 1/2 Stars out of 5