Film Scouts Reviews: Detroit Rock City

Set in 1978, "Detroit Rock City" follows the hilarious misadventures of four high school friends and their quest to see their heroes, Kiss, in a sold out concert. When their Kiss tickets are burned by a relihios fanatic parent, the four teens must battle, well, everything that could possible go wrong, in an effort to see, in person, the "Loudest band in the world."

It is interesting that with the recent trend of people feeling strangely nostalgic for all things 70's, the non-disco contingent has gone largely unnoticed. In fact, short of Richard Linklater's wonderful "Dazed and Confused", I can't even recall so much as a reference the whole Kiss phenomena in the sudden barrage of 70's movies.

"Detroit Rock City" is a wonderful film that manages to strike a nice balance of John Hughes teen comedy and late-seventies period piece. The performances are all quite good and the soundtrack manages to help capture the time brilliantly. The catchy direction by Adam Rifkin lends an almost comic book-like feel to the proceedings, which only helps add to the nostalgic feel of this film.

"Detroit Rock City" is not the campy fiasco that Kiss' previous film, "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park", was. Instead, it is a celebration of a significant, yet largely forgotten, movement in seventiespop culture.

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"Detroit Rock City"

by Thom Bennett