Detroit Rock City

"Kiss the rules goodbye."

1999 1h 35m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🥫

51%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.8

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 472🥫51%Rotten Tomatoes●33Metacritic★6.8IMDB · 42,037

ComedyMusicAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1978, a Kiss concert was an epoch-making event. For the four teen fans in Detroit Rock City getting tickets to the sold-out show becomes the focal point of their existence. They'll do anything for tickets -- compete in a strip club's amateur-night contest, take on religious protesters, even rob a convenience store!

“Kiss the rules goodbye.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Howdy Amazon ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Giuseppe Andrews
Lex
James DeBello
Trip Hurudie
Edward Furlong
Hawk
Sam Huntington
Jeremiah 'Jam' Bruce
Lin Shaye
Mrs. Bruce
Melanie Lynskey
Beth Bumsteen
Natasha Lyonne
Christine
Shannon Tweed
Amanda Finch

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Adam Rifkin
Writers: Carl V. Dupré
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, Canada

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 65% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Canada.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Adam Rifkin, shot by John R. Leonetti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by J. Peter Robinson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Schink shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Giuseppe Andrews and James DeBello and Edward Furlong carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Kiss the rules goodbye.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Adam Rifkin directs. John R. Leonetti behind the camera. J. Peter Robinson scores. Peter Schink cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, Canada. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 65% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
227 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Canada.
4Directed by Adam Rifkin, shot by John R. Leonetti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by J. Peter Robinson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Peter Schink shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Giuseppe Andrews and James DeBello and Edward Furlong carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Kiss the rules goodbye.".
9IMDB entry: tt0165710 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: John R. Leonetti
Original score: J. Peter Robinson
Editing: Peter Schink
Production design: Steve Hardie
Makeup / hair: Katrin Clark
VFX supervisor: Richard Malzahn
Sound: Mathew Waters
Stunt coordinator: Alison Reid
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,500,000
Box office: $4,217,115
Return: 65% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Detroit Rock City (1999)
Rotten Tomatoes: 51% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 33/100
IMDB rating: 6.8/10 · 42,037 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

3 nominations total

Also by

Adam Rifkin

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2021-05-03
★ 4/10
Great 70’s songs, sometimes amusing, but basically an insult to KISS fans In 1978, four teenagers from Cleveland plan to go to a KISS concert in Detroit and have many misadventures reaching their goal. The four are played by Edward Furlong, Giuseppe Andrews, James DeBello and Sam Huntington. “Detroit Rock City” (1999) features great rock/metal from the 70s by KISS, AC/DC, Blue Oyster Cult, Van Halen, Sweet, Thin Lizzy, Nazareth, Styx, David Bowie, Cheap Trick, Black Sabbath, Ted Nugent, the Ramones, etc. There are some fun moments, but the tone is too over-the-top for its own good and the story isn’t very compelling. Couple this with some odious bathroom non-humor, a lack of attractive women beyond Natasha Lyonne and the negative one-dimensional depiction of the protagonists and you have a curiously disappointing teen flick. The focus on pot-obsessed dudes is disingenuous since Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons were never into the drug culture; their idea of a party was working hard creating music, performing, touring, making money and celebrating gorgeous women. Unsurprisingly, mind-blowingly beautiful females were always attracted to KISS and frequented their concerts; so were dynamic, talented males. I’m not saying pot-worshipping, denim-clad waifs weren’t an element of their fan base, but KISS devotees always involved WAY more than this. No wonder Paul Stanley lamented: "To call it a KISS movie does it a disservice, because it does a disservice to the KISS fans, which is what it's really about." The film runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot entirely in the Toronto area. GRADE: C-

Production companies