AllMovie

Like Dazed and Confused (1993) before it, this teen comedy attempts to do for the kids of the 1970s what American Graffiti (1973) did for their parents' generation. While genuinely funny at times and probably an entertaining diversion for teen comedy fans bold enough to try it, Detroit Rock City is too narrow. The film is strictly for and about diehard fans of the rock band Kiss and as such will be somewhat lost on those who don't share a passion for the men in makeup. Unlike Dazed or Graffiti, the youthful cast members here are blandly forgettable and don't much stand out one from the other; only the hilarious Lin Shaye, so good in Kingpin (1996), gives a memorable performance, this time as a proper churchgoing mother outraged by the "satanic" musical shenanigans of Kiss. Screenwriter Carl DuPre and director Adam Rifkin are to be commended for making a film that both captures and gently mocks blinding fan devotion, but only blindly devoted fans are likely to get it -- or care about it, for that matter.