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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Detroit Rock City
New Line Cinema


8.0

based on 18 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 18 votes
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MPAA RATING: R for strong language, drug use and sex-related content

Starring Edward Furlong, Giuseppe Andrews, James DeBello, Sam Huntington, Natasha Lyonne, Lin Shaye, Melanie Lynskey, and KISS

It's 1978, and four teenagers are determined to conquer any obstacles to join the ranks of the KISS Army at the big KISS concert.

GENRE(S):	Comedy
WRITTEN BY:	Carl V. Dupré
DIRECTED BY:	Adam Rifkin
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: May 7, 2002 Video: April 2, 2002 Theatrical: August 13, 1999
RUNNING TIME:	95 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

While it's possible to have a great time with the movie without having any interest in Kiss, it should be noted that the band does make an appearance.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paula Nechak

Truly raunchy but it's more sweetly stupid and silly than anything.

TV Guide Steve Simels

A very sweet, very funny coming-of-age story, featuring Kiss as the Great White Whale of adolescence.

Variety Dennis Harvey

It's crude, sexist, ear-splittingly loud and a helluva lotta fun for anyone suffering from past or present testosterone overload.

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

Unlike the many youth movies that can't overcome their makers' hindsight, this one may actually put you in an adolescent frame of mind.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Detroit Rock City possesses three characteristics: an irreverent attitude, a high energy approach, and a loud soundtrack. While these qualities don't necessarily add up to a good movie, they keep the proceedings from becoming dull.

Village Voice Gary Dauphin

There's an awful lot of rocking out going on in Detroit Rock City, but then rocking out is this occasionally clever but lifeless movie's reason for being.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

It's not a full-on go-for-broke love letter to rock 'n' roll or a broad, joyous spoof, but something stuck awkwardly in between.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

The tuneful melodies of their favourite band grace the soundtrack, but let's not confuse this with a rock 'n' roll movie -- the music is just the blank canvas awaiting the higher art of the gross-out.

Film Threat Ron Wells

If you love KISS, you'll probably see this movie anyway. If you don't, there's no point.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Well, it could have been good. But this goofy homage to Kiss fans gets dry mouth pretty fast.

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

A mildly diverting comedy but has little of real substance to recommend it.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

It's an utterly fake nostalgia piece -- stupid and pandering, a bad-boy teen flick that plays less like a loving look at the late '70s than a terrible movie from the late '70s.

Chicago Tribune Mark Caro

A rock 'n' roll film should be funny-crazy -- not just a big, dumb promo for some over-the-hill dudes in makeup who are trying to sell today's kids on yesterday's glory by championing deliquency.

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

The cast never has much chance to shine. And the main attraction is kept all too understandably under wraps.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

This aggressively stupid film is merely business as usual, a compendium of all the current obsessions and fixations that make so many of these films such unhappy experiences.

New Times (L.A.) Robert Wilonsky

A turgid, unfunny, out-of-time rockspolitation movie.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

Such a stupid, painfully obvious, gratingly unfunny dud that it's unlikely to please even the most gullible and easy-to-please members of the Kiss army.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 18 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Tyler A. gave it a10:
This movie is awesome! I am a massive KISS fan, I showed it to a few friends who weren't KISS fans and they found it pretty good. You could only really watch it again and again if you are a KISS fan! Its better than all those teen movies which is all about scoring before a social event or whatever. Its just a fun film about four teens trying to see THE HOTTEST BAND IN THE WORLD!

Erin gave it a10:
Dude. . screw the critics! This movie Rawks! Although I never really liked kiss before the movie I loved the movie, It also turned me on to 70's rock, My dad loves that kind of music! I LOVE THIS MOVIE!

Nathan B. gave it a 10:
Absolutely kick ass! I never stopped laughing and it had some sweet songs in it. 70's rock is the best.

Mike M. gave it a 10:
It rocks i got it on dvd and watch it all the time I LOVE KISS.

Andrea gave it a 10:
BEST MOVIE EVER!!! KISS THIS!!!

Kels M. gave it a 10:
this is a movie that incorperates all different aspects of a movie...there are about 4 different genres that you could categorize it into. I think the movie was seriously underrated, its fun, funny, and a good movie to rock to. There is some drama, fighting, and romance in it, but romance at the level of adolescents, so it's a little more realistic. I recommend this movie to those that are fans of kiss, teenagers, or young adults, and possibly middle aged adults if you have a sense of humor.

Cristina gave it a 10:
I voted this movie a 10 because I'm a BIG FAN of Kiss and Eddie Furlong, before this movie came out. Detroit Rock City is one of my favorite movies! (also)

Detroit Rock City New Line Cinema

Detroit Rock City
New Line Cinema