Enter a Rotten Tomatoes movie slug to inspect the stored movie, batches, snapshots, and reviews.
Movie ID: 1148
RT slug: detroit_rock_city
RT URL: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/detroit_rock_city
Release year: 1999
Runtime: 95 mins
Wide release date: 1999-08-13
Limited release date: —
Festival premiere date: —
Streaming release date: 2008-07-01
Tomatometer final: 51%
Audience score final: 82%
Genres: Comedy
Directors: Adam Rifkin
Writers: Carl V. Dupré
Producers: Barry Levine, Gene Simmons, Kathleen Haase
MPAA rating: R
Executive Producers: —
Created: 2026-08-12 10:44:52
Updated: 2026-08-12 10:44:52
Rock-loving teens and aspiring musicians Hawk (Edward Furlong), Lex (Giuseppe Andrews), Trip (James DeBello) and Jam (Sam Huntington) can't wait to see their favorite band, KISS, perform at an upcoming concert. However, when Jam's pious mother (Lin Shaye) finds the tickets to the event, she incinerates them, leaving the boys desperate for a way to see the show. In their attempts to see KISS, the lads endure misunderstandings, humiliation and violence, all just to see their beloved idols.
Silly plot, over-the-top directing style.
Canonical reviews: 40
Canonical fresh: 21
Canonical rotten: 19
Canonical calculated Tomatometer: 53%
Latest snapshot UTC: 2026-08-12 10:23:28
Snapshot Tomatometer: 51%
Snapshot review count: 41
Snapshot fresh count: 21
Snapshot rotten count: 19
Source note: Imported from manual review paste batch #2718 (full_snapshot)
| Company | Role |
|---|---|
| New Line Cinema | distributor |
| Base 12 Productions | production |
| Billing | Name | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edward Furlong | Hawk |
| 2 | Giuseppe Andrews | Lex |
| 3 | James DeBello | Trip |
| 4 | Sam Huntington | Jeremiah 'Jam' Bruce |
| 5 | Lin Shaye | Mrs. Bruce |
| Batch ID | Status | Mode | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1164 | processed | — | 2026-08-12 10:44:52 | Processed successfully into movie_id=1148 using update_mode=merge_non_empty. |
| Batch ID | Local Snapshot | UTC Snapshot | Entered % | Entered Count | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2718 | 2026-08-12 05:23:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-12 10:23:28 | 51% | 41 | processed | Mode=full_snapshot. Processed 40 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=40, fresh=21, rotten=19, tomatometer=53%. Net new reviews added=40, fresh=21, rotten=19. Current canonical totals=40 reviews, 21 fresh, 19 rotten, tomatometer=53% (52.500%). WARNING: entered review count 41 did not match parsed batch count 40. WARNING: entered tomatometer 51% did not match parsed batch 53%. |
| ID | Critic | Outlet | Fresh? | Score | RT Time Raw | Approx Published UTC | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 241177 | Xan Brooks | Independent (UK) | Fresh | — | 2024-12-20T10:28:33.000Z | 2024-12-20 10:28:33 | Rifkin's yoof comedy hits a lot of easy buttons, but it's ultimately rather charming. |
| 241178 | Chuck Klosterman | Akron Beacon Journal | Fresh | 3/4 | 2023-10-26T00:13:24.000Z | 2023-10-26 00:13:24 | Much like the rock group it celebrates, Detroit Rock City is so brazenly moronic that it ends up seemingly brilliant for all the right reasons. |
| 241179 | David Nusair | Reel Film Reviews | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2021-10-06T11:20:16.000Z | 2021-10-06 11:20:16 | ...a briskly-paced, unabashedly larger-than-life comedy... |
| 241180 | Felix Vasquez Jr. | Cinema Crazed | Fresh | — | 2017-01-02T20:50:46.000Z | 2017-01-02 20:50:46 | By no means a masterpiece; hell, it's barely a great movie, but it packs in enough talent, fun, and healthy delusions only KISS fans are capable of. |
| 241181 | Steve Newton | Georgia Straight | Rotten | 1/5 | 2014-08-12T21:01:49.000Z | 2014-08-12 21:01:49 | Like KISS's music, it's juvenile, crass, bombastic, and loud. |
| 241182 | Owen Gleiberman | Entertainment Weekly | Rotten | D | 2011-09-07T11:45:35.000Z | 2011-09-07 11:45:35 | — |
| 241183 | Nell Minow | Common Sense Media | Rotten | 2/5 | 2010-12-22T12:04:12.000Z | 2010-12-22 12:04:12 | A valentine to sex, drugs, and cutting school. |
| 241184 | Michael Dequina | TheMovieReport.com | Rotten | 1.5/4 | 2009-11-24T22:33:59.000Z | 2009-11-24 22:33:59 | What works for rocking and rolling all night (and partying every day) doesn't necessarily hold true for movies. |
| 241185 | Rob Gonsalves | Rob's Movie Vault | Fresh | B | 2007-07-30T08:13:16.000Z | 2007-07-30 08:13:16 | The movie isn't a trailblazer; it's an exuberantly trashy party, a comedy of lowdown defeats and triumphs. |
| 241186 | Unknown Critic | Film Threat | Rotten | 1.5/5 | 2005-12-06T19:57:15.000Z | 2005-12-06 19:57:15 | — |
| 241187 | Jeanne Aufmuth | Palo Alto Weekly | Rotten | 2/4 | 2003-05-14T17:21:49.000Z | 2003-05-14 17:21:49 | — |
| 241188 | John R. McEwen | Film Quips Online | Fresh | 4/5 | 2003-02-08T08:41:52.000Z | 2003-02-08 08:41:52 | — |
| 241189 | Mark Palermo | The Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | Rotten | 2/5 | 2002-09-01T22:30:47.000Z | 2002-09-01 22:30:47 | — |
| 241190 | David Poland | Hot Button (Substack) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2002-07-26T18:32:25.000Z | 2002-07-26 18:32:25 | — |
| 241191 | James Sanford | Kalamazoo Gazette | Rotten | — | 2002-06-23T17:17:55.000Z | 2002-06-23 17:17:55 | sorely in need of the authenticity and easy humor of "Dazed and Confused," the 1994 Richard Linklater comedy it's obviously trying hard to imitate. |
| 241192 | Paula Nechak | Seattle Post-Intelligencer | Fresh | B | 2002-04-03T08:07:11.000Z | 2002-04-03 08:07:11 | — |
| 241193 | Unknown Critic | Globe and Mail | Rotten | 2/4 | 2002-03-19T08:06:22.000Z | 2002-03-19 08:06:22 | — |
| 241194 | Jim Bartoo | Hollywood.com | Fresh | — | 2001-04-04T13:17:58.000Z | 2001-04-04 13:17:58 | Rifkin rocks and rolls in coming-of-age comedy. |
| 241215 | Greg Dean Schmitz | Greg's Previews at Yahoo! Movies | Fresh | 3/4 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | — |
| 241214 | Shay Casey | rec.arts.movies.reviews | Rotten | 1.5/4 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | Look, that guy just got clocked by a telephone receiver. Twice. See? Funny! |
| 241213 | David Keyes | Cinemaphile.org | Rotten | 2/10 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | — |
| 241212 | Ross Anthony | Hollywood Report Card | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | Set in the 1970's and produced by Gene Simmons (among others), this scrawny little script eventually becomes a rich film. |
| 241211 | Steve Rhodes | Internet Reviews | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | high energy farce |
| 241210 | Madeleine Williams | Cinematter | Rotten | 0.5/4 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | — |
| 241209 | Susan Stark | Detroit News | Rotten | 1/4 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | — |
| 241208 | Christopher Null | Filmcritic.com | Fresh | 3/5 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | — |
| 241207 | Gary Mairs | culturevulture.net | Fresh | 8/10 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | — |
| 241206 | Rob Blackwelder | SPLICEDWire | Fresh | 6/10 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | — |
| 241205 | Erik Childress | eFilmCritic.com | Rotten | 1/5 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | — |
| 241204 | JoBlo | JoBlo's Movie Network | Fresh | 8/10 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | — |
| 241203 | Marjorie Baumgarten | Austin Chronicle | Rotten | 2.5/5 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | — |
| 241202 | Unknown Critic | Reel.com | Fresh | 3/4 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | — |
| 241201 | James Berardinelli | ReelViews | Rotten | 2.5/4 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | — |
| 241200 | Mick LaSalle | San Francisco Chronicle | Fresh | 3/4 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | — |
| 241199 | Thom Bennett | Film Journal International | Fresh | — | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | A wonderful, funny film that manages to strike a nice balance of John Hughes teen comedy and late-'70s period piece. |
| 241198 | Dustin Putman | TheFilmFile.com | Rotten | 2/4 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | A nice, respective try, but Detroit Rock City just misses the mark. |
| 241197 | David N. Butterworth | rec.arts.movies.reviews | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | Surprisingly amiable for a film that claims to 'kiss the rules goodbye.' |
| 241196 | Chuck Rudolph | Matinee Magazine | Fresh | B | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | The notion of music's cultural definition for people isn't taken for granted by Detroit Rock City's makers. |
| 241195 | Guy MacPherson | Apollo Guide | Rotten | 60/100 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | — |
| 241216 | Unknown Critic | Entertainment Weekly | Rotten | D | 1999-08-13T00:00:00.000Z | 1999-08-13 00:00:00 | — |
Showing the latest 100 canonical reviews for this movie.