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FOOTLOOSE

 

Alphabetically, this is part one of remake week in Hollywood with yet another remake of a film that didn't need remaking... "Footloose."

 

My loyal readers already know that I despise remakes so you already know my frame of mind when I walked into the screening.

 

There are so many remakes, I have had to categorize the remake factor into three groups: Those that should never be remade ("Casablanca", "Gone With The Wind", "Citizen Kane", "The Day the Earth Stood Still", any Steve McQueen movie, any Humphrey Bogart movie, any Hitchcock movie, any Charles Bronson movie, any Clint Eastwood movie, etc...), those that are vulnerable to being remade because they could have been better ("3:10 to Yuma", "True Grit", etc...), and those that were so bad in the first place why bother ("Toxic Avenger", "Stepfather", "The Hills have Eyes", etc.)

"Footloose" sadly fell into that second category. Though the original 1984 film was the vehicle that launched Kevin Bacon into stardom (and sadly was Sarah Jessica Parkers first big movie), it really was kind of hokie and probably could have been better.

 

But it was fun and it kept alive that country western feel-good thing that "Urban Cowboy" started 4 years earlier. Plus it produced a solid soundtrack that filled dance clubs for almost a year!

 

So this time director Craig Brewer ("Hustle and Flow" and "Black Snake Moan") gives us his rendition. I know when you consider his previous works, you gotta be thinking that maybe it will be sexier and... you would be wrong.

 

He cast Kenny Wormald in Bacon's role as Ren MacCormack, a teenage boy who has come to this little town in Georgia from Boston. You could tell without him saying because of the thick Boston dialect. His mother has died and he's here to live with his uncle Wes (Ray McKinnon).

He knows things are going to be a bit different, but what he doesn't know is that the town has outlawed public dancing by teenagers after a group of kids - led by the local preacher's son, got killed in a DUI accident.

 

The local preacher Rev. Shaw (Dennis Quad) has one other child... a wild child daughter named Ariel (Julianne Hough) who is dating a local red-neck hood.

 

Ren is quickly befriended by Willard (Miles Teller) who is an aw-shucks kinda red neck - we'll call him a human version of Mater ["Cars"]. His girlfriend is Rusty (Ziah Colon) who was played in the original by Sarah Jessica Parker.

 

When Ren finds out there is no public teen dancing, he works to change that law by dancing, getting into fights, and stealing Ariel from her red neck hood boyfriend, all while pissing of the adult townfolk. In other words, its the same movie all over again.

 

With the same music also. (Why spoil a good thing, right?) Quaid overacts just like John Lithgow did. Wormald dances and has a cute little dance thing with Teller. And, oh... one thing... Ariel gets nailed by her red neck beau! Ah yes, thank you Mr Brewer.

 

This version of "Footloose" is basically for this generation and for the few folks from the 80s that didn't see the original. Nothing more, nothing less - except a different movie ticket price point!

 

"Footloose" is a remake that was vulnerable for remaking. It retains the cutesy and fun characteristics of the original only with different stars.   -- GEOFF BURTON

 

GEOFF BURTON

 

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