I have an unbelievably fond memory of the first time I saw “Footloose”. I gazed upon a giant outdoor screen at the local drive-in mesmerized by the cutting loose of agile feet. It was a hot summer night and my brother and I had lawn chairs set up besides my father’s red Volkswagen Rabbit but they weren’t needed- we stood the entire time shadow dancing to the grooving gyrations issued by Mr. Kevin Bacon and crew. I loved the music, especially the main theme by Mr. Kenny Loggins (The Master of ‘80’s Movie Theme songs: “Top Gun,” “Caddyshack”) and the Moving Pictures number “Never” that featured our hero Ren McCormack “angry dancing” while performing some amazing gymnastics in an abandoned warehouse. Inspired cheese. I loved the dancing even more and to this day I still get tight-chest excited at the end of the film when Ren declares to the room full of awkward teens, “I thought this a party? Let’s dance!” Cue the glitter.
In other words, I’m biased and can not trust myself to write a balanced review for the remake of this film. That is because it’s a bias based solely on nostalgia. I can’t give objective opinion about the film because the joy I get from watching the original “Footloose” spawns from my memory of watching that first time. And I can’t even trust that memory. The movie opened in February back in 1984 so how the hell did I watch it outside on “a hot summer night”? And maybe it was my dad’s blue Datsun we danced besides or (more likely) we didn’t dance during the film at all. I might not even have made it to the end of the flick. I historically fell asleep at the drive-in at that age. I don’t know if “Footloose” is a good film or not; I just know I love it because it makes me feel like a nine year old kid.
So when I say that this new “Footloose” is entertaining and exciting it is because director/screenwriter Craig Brewer (“Hustle & Flow,” “Black Snake Moan”) delivers a film that follows the same footprint as its predecessor to a near “Gus Van Sant doing “Psycho”” level of imitation. Same plot, same dialogue, same costumes, same Volkswagen! Brewer’s touch is also felt on a beefed up script. We see a group of teenage kids die in a traffic accident which prompts the town of Bomont, Georgia to make dancing illegal. Ren (Kenny Wormald) is the new yungin’ in town all the way from Boston (instead of Chicago) and gives the proper attitude to go along with his geographic upbringing (although his accent comes and goes). His mother has passed away, leaving him an orphan and adding to his angst. He decides that dancing is a God given right and begins a petition to allow the high school kids a prom. His love interest is Ariel (Julianne Hough), the local preacher’s daughter. Ariel is a little less suicidal this time around (she spends much of the original dangling from moving vehicles and facing off trains) but her asshole boyfriend Chuck (Patrick John Flueger) is just as doucey as ever. As the good preacher, Rev. Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid), struggles with the decision to let the kids hold their dance, the movie bogs down a bit but is redeemed by the glorious closing number.
Both Wormald and Julianne Hough (who looks like a young Jennifer Aniston and, at times, suffers through some hurried and stilted dialogue delivery) are professional dancers and add an authentic touch. Bacon’s performance suffered from obvious cuts to a dance double. Wormald’s style is aggressive, hectic but controlled. The crowd favorite will likely be Miles Teller who takes on the role of Willard. He provides the heart of the movie and it is easy to pull for the kid as he learns to dance while “Let’s Hear for the Boy” blares on.
That song, plus three others (“Footloose,” “Almost Paradise,” and “Holding Out for a Hero”) are pulled from the original soundtrack and given a country twang. None of the new songs hit the heights of these staples.
Most importantly the remake duplicates the fun and energy of the original film. I am pleased to announce that I, again, got tight-chest excited when the Modern Ren declares to the room full of awkward teens, “I thought this a party? Let’s dance!” with the required glitter cued. My inner nine year old just loved it.