Footloose (2011) Review

This Footloose remake starts out with the famous Kenny Loggins song, showing us kids drinking and dancing.  When it was all said and done, we follow a group of kids as they hop in their car and proceed to finish off the Loggins theme by slamming head first into a truck.

And hence, in the original, where things were merely referred to, this remake tries to stand out a bit and actually show us the tragedy that took place.

We then watch the city council meeting installing teen curfews and regulations against lewd and suggestive music and/or dancing.

We then jump to three years down the road...

Ren MacCormack (Kenny Wormald) shows up from Boston, MA., and he learns about all the laws and rules against music and dancing.

Through it all, we meet the rebellious daughter of Reverend Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid), Ariel, played by Julianne Hough.

Her rebellious nature includes dating a rough and tough kid named Chuck Cranston (Patrick John Flueger) who drives street stock race cars and... yes, she's into dancing.

The dancing the kids do include organized and illicit events at the drive-in, where they have to post look outs for the cops and parents.

And as the movie progresses, as I appreciate some of the new angles to the story, I was thinking that at least they shot for some differing originality.

But wait...  they have to have the vehicular challenge that was in the original, but instead of tractors in a game of chicken, we have buses in a figure eight race, which becomes another form of vehicular chicken.  And of course, Ren runs out of brakes.

It even dares to follow the same routines of a warehouse solo dance session by Ren, Ariel finding him, her playing chicken with the train... Ren getting Willard (Miles Teller) some dance lessons and so forth.

They might call it paying homage, but when Ren teaches Willard to dance, and it's the same song, same moves, in both versions, well... I'm sure they call it paying homage.

Sigh.

-

To be honest, as far as remakes go, director/screenplay writer Craig Brewer (Black Snake Moan, Katy Perry: Part of Me) played it pretty safe mirroring or echoing the original 1984 version.

The lack of variations from the original kept any interest in the film from truly sparking.

The redeeming features of the movie are girls in tight jeans, snug halter tops and Julianne Hough.  Sorry, but that's just how I see it and I'm calling it like I see it.

Though to be honest, there are a few underpinning differences they bounce off of, and Wormald, Hough and Quaid do deliver decent portrayals of their characters.

But...

The lack of originality, despite the eye candy, nets this movie a popcorn 5.  Maybe I should change my scales so some movies are lumps of coal instead of popcorn!

If you haven't seen the original, you might very well enjoy this flick.  It follows the same successful outline of the original that appealed to the younger generation then.  (Heck, I have an affinity for it because my father worked around the production as a staff pilot.)  But with a few twists and maybe, looking at it as someone who never saw the original, I'd crank the review score up to a popcorn 6!

But officially, I"m leaving it at 5 for lazy film making with mirrored moves, clothes, and even the songs.  Sorry gang, but this isn't worth your time.  Unless you're extremely bored, too tired to get up and get the remote to change channels if it comes on your pay movie channel or what not.

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