It's not exactly aimed toward the thinking public, but Detroit Rock City delivers more than its share of laughs.

Rating: 7/10 (15 February 2001)

To put it in Eddie Furlong's own words, there won't be any Academy Awards here. But who cares? This isn't the kind of movie that makes a person expect a brilliant script or spectacular acting, so they can get away with a little cheesiness. The scene early in the film when `Jam' (Sam Huntington) gets tangled up and winds up getting hit in the face with the phone is one of the funniest parts in the movie, despite the fact that it was totally unrealistic. I would normally have no sympathy for someone who didn't just bend their foot a little bit to get the spring off and thereby remove any danger, but I refuse to believe anyone who says that they didn't laugh when that thing pulled him back across the floor. Huntington stole every scene he was in, particularly that side-splitting scene with the phone, as well as a hilarious scene in the classroom when one of his classmates (Beth) tries to tell him that she has a crush on him.
Guiseppe Andrews was also very good as Lex, the long-haired rock n' roll fanatic, and James DeBello as Trip fulfilled the early `Cure' type role. Furlong, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be doing so great. Remember how huge he was after Terminator 2? Sure, 90% of all of that hoopla was because the movie was so good, but you have to admit that Eddie delivered a quality performance in that film. Now, in Detroit Rock City, we have him playing a geeky high school kid in 1978 trying desperately to make his way into a KISS concert. I think that he did a god job in this role, but it's the type of role that is a drop in quality for him, at least from the tremendous Terminator 2 days. In Detroit Rock City, there's a scene where Eddie does a strip tease at a male strip club, trying to win money with which to buy tickets, and he reveals to the world that he has grown into the soft physique of a thirteen year old kid. And this is the guy that was on the cover of every teen magazine you could find only a few years ago.

Natasha Lyonne appears in the small and fairly unenviable role of a dreaded disco girl, but she fills the role very nicely with her quality acting. She plays the part of one of the girls with whom all four of these high school rock n' roll geeks eventually find romance, which is probably the only part of the story that the movie could really have done without. On the other hand, the entire film plays like every high school kid's fantasy. These guys receive no respect whatsoever at school, yet on this trip to see KISS, they all end up being heroes in the most outrageous ways. Normally I don't like stuff like this, but you just have to let that go in order to enjoy the movie, because if you do that, it's really funny and really entertaining. Another character that is worth mentioning is the notorious hall monitor who, judging from his appearance, probably should have been named "Wolverine" instead of "Elvis."
Detroit Rock City wasn't made to go down in film history. It was made to make people laugh and to entertain, and I think that it did that on many levels. I'm also glad that the actual band didn't overshadow the film, because if they had played extensive roles, it could really have taken away from the film as a whole. This is a unique adventure story, however unlikely, about four kids who just want to go see their favorite band and encounter every setback imaginable. Never mind trying to figure out who the target audience is, just enjoy Detroit Rock City for the goofy comedy that it is.