Viewed in
2012
Formats
HDTV
Premise
Kevin Bacon stars as a teenager transplanted to a small midwestern town so uptight that dancing is outlawed.
Loved
Music and choreography.
Disliked
Lack of dancing.
Hated
Nonsensical plot.
Thoughts
I was underwhelmed by this "classic".
There was a great collection of memorable (and annoying) 1980's pop music. I also enjoyed the fun (and still cool) dancing, and wished there was more. Bacon was likable as the lead, but John Lithgow shined as the town's preacher and old-fashioned moral compass. I was amused to find a young, brunette Sarah Jessica Parker in the pack.
Aside from needing more dancing, the story could've been better. I found it hard to take the writing seriously with the ridiculous premise. The subplot with the jealous ex-boyfriend was handled awkwardly. And Lithgow's arc was pretty odd.
Having said that, it was refreshing to see a working single mother who can actually hold a normal conversation with her teenage child, instead of a shouting windbag who "just doesn't get it".
If you plan to watch the original Footloose for the song and dance, I suggest just looking for those scenes online and skip the movie. Normally, I am dubious about remakes, but I could see a legit reason to redo this title.
