Detroit Rock City (1999)

A comedy about four teenagers in 1978 who try to scam their way into a KISS concert.

Director:

Adam Rifkin

Writer:

Carl V. Dupré

Stars:

Giuseppe Andrews, James DeBello, Edward Furlong

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Giuseppe Andrews	...	Lex
James DeBello	...	Trip (as James De Bello)
Edward Furlong	...	Hawk
Sam Huntington	...	Jam
Lin Shaye	...	Mrs. Bruce
Melanie Lynskey	...	Beth
Natasha Lyonne	...	Christine
Miles Dougal	...	Elvis
Nick Scotti	...	Kenny
Emmanuelle Chriqui	...	Barbara
David Quane	...	Bobby
Rodger Barton	...	Mr. Bumsteen
Kathryn Haggis	...	Mrs. Bumsteen
David Gardner	...	Priest
Shannon Tweed	...	Amanda Finch

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

concert | band | kiss | teenager | high school | 

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Taglines:

Rock and roll all night. Party every day.

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language, drug use and sex-related content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 August 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Kiss Movie

Filming Locations:

Billy Sue's Rebel Garage, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£96,504 (UK) (22 October 1999)

Gross:

SGD 292,958 (Singapore) (28 January 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Takoma Entertainment Group, Base 12 Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The words "fuck", "fucking" or "fucker" are said 83 times.

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Goofs

The length of the scalper's cigarette grows and shrinks in between shots.

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Quotes

Christine: Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?
Hawk: Why don't you lick my hairy crack?
Christine: Why don't you bend over, you're lookin' right at it!
Lex: [Everybody looks at each other in puzzlement] That last remark fell about 30 yards away from makin' any sense whatsoever!

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Crazy Credits

The New Line Cinema fanfare is played on electric guitar instead of the usual orchestral version.

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Connections

References Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (1973)

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Soundtracks

"Love Gun"
Written by Paul Stanley
Performed by KISS
Courtesy of Mercury Records
Under license from Universal Music Special Markets

User Reviews

This movie rocks!

I really don't see why this movie tanked and why it is hated by many. Maybe its poor box office performance was due partly to its R-rating, being that it appeals to a predominantly teenage demographic. But I found it to be funny, entertaining and downright awesome!

This is not a nostalgic piece. Other than the music, this film's characters seemed to be fished out of contemporary society. So the older viewers might not enjoy it QUITE as much. I have to say, my only disappointment was that Kiss only got to perform once, at the very end. Other than that, this is just a wildly funny comic ride with good performances from the main cast, as well as the supporting--Lin Shaye stands out as the ultra-protective, Bible-toting, chain-smoking mother who regards Kiss as "Knights in Satan's Service." Joe Flaherty, of SCTV fame, also has a funny cameo.

What can I say? I laughed a lot. I bobbed my head to the music. I had fun. That pretty much does it for me.

My score: 7 (out of 10)