DETROIT ROCK CITY
I was wrong. While it could never be mistaken for a shining example of
American cinema, I have to admit the film is a heck of a lot of fun. Like
The Wedding Singer, it may not have
a terribly broad audience, but for those of us who were there then, it will
bring back a lot of memories. And as it promises, it features the band's
four original members. Gene Simmons (with the tongue), Ace Frehley (with
the fire coming out of his guitar), Paul Stanley (with the star over his
eye), and Peter Criss (the drummer with the cat makeup) show up in person
at the end, on stage, and perform the film's title song before a huge crowd
of drooling teenagers. Thank God for makeup.
When we first meet our four high school heroes, they are practicing their
craft in the basement. You see, Hawk (Edward Furlong, American History
X), Lex (Guiseppe Andrews), Trip (James DeBello) and Jam (Sam Huntington)
make up a Cleveland band called Mystery, and they apparently specialize
in covers of KISS songs (I had a friend who was in exactly such a band).
They are completely psyched, because tomorrow is 1) the last day of school,
and 2) the night they see KISS live in concert. They have their tickets
all ready; all they have to do is make the trip to Detroit. But Jam's mother,
Mrs. Bruce (Lyn Shaye), a chain-smoking religious fanatic who claims that
KISS stands for "Knights In Satan's Service," finds the tickets
in Jam's pocket and destroys them. Not to be deflated, the boys borrow Lex's
mom's car and drive to Detroit anyway, determined to see their beloved band
somehow, even if it kills them. And it nearly does.
What Detroit Rock City lacks in intelligence it more than makes up for in energy. The story of the four friends going off in separate directions looking for tickets, and each making some kind of major character leap, is formulaic and riddled with foul language and foul behavior. But these 20-something actors clearly still have a good handle on what it's like to be in high school, and seem to revel in the '70s environment. Lending good supporting performances are Natasha Lyonne as disco-girl Christine and Melanie Lynskey (Ever After) as Jam's girlfriend Beth. Those two girls' names are just a few of the inside jokes aimed at KISS fans, and there are tons of other nods to us former '70s high schoolers. Also present, as one would expect, is a dynamite '70s soundtrack filled with not just KISS classics but every other kind of pop music from that era. If you're not a KISS fan, you'll still have some fun. If you are, Detroit Rock City will make you want to Shout It Out Loud. ****