wonderful movie; fantastic DVD

Rating: Null/10 (1 January 2001)

Detroit Rock City is a movie that should be seen on DVD for a number of reasons, most specifically the special features, including 3 full-length commentaries, including one with the members of KISS. Now, I was never a KISS fan--but had many friends in 1978 (my late junior and early senior year in high school) who were. This movie more than anything captures the SPIRIT of KISS fans. Even the actors and crew admit on one of the commentaries that the film tried to take things a bit "over the top" in the way some scenes were portrayed, but too many critics of the movie (and they are mostly negative--and strongly so) miss the true heart of this movie. This movie does have HEART, and it has nothing to do with KISS (sorry, guys). The heart of this film are the Galahad boys who are journeying toward their own Holy Grail (in this case, a KISS concert, but more generally, their own independence or rather self-dependence). The main four characters, especially Sam Huntington's (Jungle 2 Jungle) character and Giuseppe Andrews' (Independence Day) character stand out, as do those two actors. And as with many good films that have been misunderstood, it's even better the second (and third) viewing. If you want a film about KISS, buy a music video. If you want a movie about real people, get this one.