Sexy dancing, romance, rebellion and a few good laughs ignite the remake of the 1984 classic movie “Footloose.”
Sorry, Kevin Bacon fans — he isn’t cutting it loose this time around. Newcomer Kenny Wormald impressively takes on the role of Ren MacCormack, a rebel who leaves Boston after his mother dies to move to Bomont, Georgia. Since a car accident three years earlier that killed five teenagers, loud music and public dancing have been outlawed in this town nestled in the heart of the Bible Belt.
In between falling in love with the reverend’s daughter Ariel (Julianne Hough, “Dancing with the Stars”) and teaching his new redneck friend Willard (Miles Teller, “Rabbit Hole”) to dance, Ren becomes frustrated by his inability to fit in with the strict town rules. He does the only thing he can do to get Bomont’s youth their rights back: dance.
During his endeavors, MacCormack faces fierce opposition from the town council of Bomont, and even greater opposition from the town’s patriarch, Reverend Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid, “The Day after Tomorrow”), who is the pioneer of the strict laws.
Along with the classic story of rebellion against authority, this flick is chock-full of dance numbers that are extremely fun to watch. Not only are the actors amazing dancers, they are amazing actors as well, which is rarely the case for most dance-musical movies.
Most are fearful when a remake of a classic movie is made, but there is nothing to fear here. Director Craig Brewer, along with Dean Pitchford, who wrote the original1984 screenplay, not only gave a modern facelift to the story, but also kept elements of the original movie. Brewer included dance sequences from the original flick and also introduced newer dance styles like hip hop and break-dancing.
The soundtrack of the movie also does the same in staying true to the spirit of the original film. Country artist Blake Shelton revamps the title song, “Footloose.” Eighties hits like “Holding Out for a Hero,” and “Let’s Hear it for the Boys” are also impressively revitalized.
“Footloose” is a fun, sexy, hilarious and toe-tapping movie. The familiar music will have the audience singing along, and for some, dancing along. This is a must-see for anyone who loved the original “Footloose” or for those who love a sweet story filled with impeccable dancing and catchy music.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
