WARNING: I am a dance movie fangirl. I love them them all: classics like Singing in the Rain, 90s attempts like Center Stage, and the modern guilty-pleasure that is the High School Musical series. I think that’s why the fact that they were remaking the cheesy, 80s classic, Footloose, registered on my radar.
I was never able to fully enjoy the peppy soundtrack and dance scenes of the 1984 original because I absolutely despise Kevin Bacon. He creeps me out. I think he looks like an alien child or demon from the fiery pits of hell.
Look at him. His creepy nose, weird non-colored hair and lashless eyes. He haunts my nightmares and ruined a dance movie classic.
Anyways, I was given passes to see Footloose a few days before it came out (clearly my post is a little late) and curiosity got the best of me. I couldn’t help but wonder if the girl from Dancing with the Stars who had one hit country song and the guy from Center Stage 2 could salvage the Kevin Bacon claim-to-fame film.
This movie was cheesy; but I can’t help but think it was cheesy in all the right ways. Footloose doesn’t have a strong story line. It’s a movie made to showcase dancing with a storyline concocted so the dance scenes made semi-sense.
The Footloose remake embraces the cheesy and pulls out the wardrobe from the original 80s movie, plays homage to the classic dance scenes while including some that will please tweeny bopper audiences and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
I think one major downfall of the movie was the portrayal of Ariel, the female lead and love interest for Ren McCormack. I don’t know if it was the writing or Julianne Hough trying too hard to appear tough, but you don’t feel sorry for Ariel when you should. She’s a little too much of a hussy and not enough of an all-American girl going through her rebellious phase.
The BEST part of the movie was Willard, the main character’s best friend. He’s lovable, goofy, and the true comedic relief from all the cheesy story lines.
I felt unsure about Footloose for most of the movie, but by the end I joined in with the crowd and clapped during the final scene. No one is going to be dancing in the aisles, but I think the remake tops the classic. Added bonus, Kevin Bacon refused a cameo making it nightmare free 🙂
The Morning After: Brunch 