Fans of dance movies and musicals alike will not be disappointed with the 2011 remake of the 1984 cult classic, “Footloose.”
The remake was released Oct. 14, and has been updated by being set in the 2000s instead of the ‘80s.
While, as a moviegoer, it might be a sin to say that I’ve never seen the original film in its entirety, I don’t think that fans of the original will be too critical of the remake.
Kenny Wormald did a fantastic job of playing Ren MacCormack, a city slicker from Massachusetts who moves to the small town of Bomont, Ga., where dancing and loud music have been outlawed. MacCormack does everything in his power to get this law to go away, while trying to swoon Ariel Moore, played by Julianne Hough.
Moore is the daughter of the Rev. Shaw Moore, played by Dennis Quaid, who does an excellent job of playing the stern, cold father/pastor figure that has set out to outlaw dancing and rock and roll from his beloved town.
His daughter and Ren, the new town rebel, are setting out to change those things, but of course, there are some bumps along the road.
This movie can’t be described without explaining the choreography throughout. The talents of Wormald and Hough cannot be disputed. Their acting skills aren’t the best I’ve ever seen, but these two sure can dance. The two are known for their dancing ability, and it shows. The movie credentials that the two have are all dancing films, with good reason.
Although the talents of the dancers were hard to forget, who stole the movie for me was Miles Teller, who plays Ren’s new friend in Bomont, Willard.
Teller commits to the role of Willard completely, and is the lovable best friend who can’t dance. Ren and Willard have a hilarious scene together in which Ren teaches Willard to dance. Willard is the complete country bumpkin that doesn’t know the first thing about dancing.
Needless to say, Ren comes through and teaches his new buddy how to dance, with lots of laughs along the way.
With updated music and scenery, the remake of “Footloose” was very enjoyable and fun to watch. The updated version of the song “Footloose” that was featured in the film, however, was not so enjoyable. Country musician Blake Shelton sings the remake of the original Kenny Loggins song with a country spin, which makes me cringe every time I hear it. The original song is better.
I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants to just sit back and be entertained.
Craig Brewer, who directed 2005’s “Hustle and Flow,” directed the film.
“Footloose” is rated PG-13 for teen drug and alcohol use, sexual content, violence and language.
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