Rock City Rocks!

Rating: 8/10 (12 August 1999)

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised! Detroit Rock City was very entertaining, and I'm not even the biggest Kiss fan. The good thing is, you don't have to be. Kiss only plays a minor part in this film, more thematic than actually physically present. Instead, what you have is a coming-of-age comedy with a wicked pace, loud visuals and a soundtrack to match. Adam Rifkin does a great job directing, and while the script sometimes falters into stereotype-ville (Ã la "all adults are morons"), the film shines when it deals with the four main characters (led by Ed Furlong, who like Leo deCaprio will always look like a 16-yr. old). The protagonists are well developed, and endearing. On the sidelines there are some neat little cameos from Natascha Lyonne, Joe Flaherty and Ron Jeremy among others. And the film has a wicked bite too - adolescent raunchiness is captured nearly perfectly in many of the film's scenes. It's not nearly as subtle as Richard Linklater's masterpiece, "Dazed and Confused," but it's a great summer movie, and it's a lot of fun.