Footloose (2011)

People love complaining about remakes. For whatever reason they'll become irate whenever a new version of an old film or TV series is announced, wailing about Hollywood "running out of ideas" and "raping their childhood." The only thing surer to piss off moviegoers is another round of Star Wars revisions.

This is nonsense. For one, remakes have existed since the silent era. Masterpieces like The Wizard of Oz and The Maltese Falcon are remakes, after all. Second, they don't drive the original out of existence. Classics like Psycho and The Day of the Jackal stand tall long after the piss-poor updates vanish into the Best Buy bargain bin. This is doubly true of kitschy pop fads; anyone remember Fame (2009)? Of course you don't.

This mini-rant is a good intro to Footloose (2011). A remake of one of the silliest (yet most endearing) pieces of '80s cheese imaginable, it's been in gestation for ages. Back in high school I remember reading about an adaptation of the Broadway musical starring Zack Efron. This version sticks fairly close to the 1984 film, adding a modern twist to the music and characters. The result is much better than it should be.

Boston teen Ren McCormack (Kenny Wormold) arrives in Bomont, Georgia after the death of his mom. Ren finds that Bomont banned dancing and loud music after the death of local teens, including the son of Reverend Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid). Ren befriends goofball Willard (Miles Teller) and catches the eye of Ariel (Julianne Hough), Moore's wayward daughter. Ren decides to stand up for the right to boogie down and work for the ban's repeal.

Footloose retains the original's plot, set pieces and even a lot of the music. If anything the movie is too faithful to the original: Ren's "anger dance" is equally dumb scored to hip hop. But writer-director Craig Brewer does a good job making the film half-way credible. The film's Bomont is a believable small town, helped by good dialogue and well-cast minor parts. The country music and Southern atmosphere are certainly more appropriate than the original's pop tunes. For the most part, the updates and alterations help the film.



Brewer (co-writing with the original's Dean Pitchford) scores with a measured approach to the material. Ren's character is better fleshed-out, given a more concrete motivation for his quest. His schoolmates are played less broadly than the original, where they bordered on stereotype. Brewer's knack for dialogue and character interaction sells the drama. Sure it evaporates during the bus races (?) and breakdancing, but it's welcome while it lasts.

The old Footloose's biggest asset was the soundtrack, one area the remake is lacking. Kenny Loggins' title track and Deniece Williams' Let's Hear it for the Boy find their way into the story, along with new arrangements of Holding Out for a Hero and Almost Paradise. The original music, mixing rap and country music, is mostly disposable, though the well-choreographed dance scenes make up for a lot.

The teen cast is excellent. Kenny Wormold makes a very likeable lead, handling the dramatic moments as well as Kevin Bacon and the dancing sans stunt double. Miles Teller steals every scene as a memorably goofy Willard. Ziah Colon, Ser'Darius Blain and Patrick John Flueger compare favorably to their '84 counterparts. The only weak link is Julianne Hough, who's at least more palatable than the obnoxious Lori Singer.

The adults are less successful. Dennis Quaid underplays Moore to an excessive degree, rarely allowing emotion to show through. John Lithgow was more complex and likeable while Quaid seems constipated. Andie McDowell lacks Dianne Wiest's quiet intensity and anguished longing. Ray McKinnon picks up some of the slack with a warm, humorous performance as Ren's uncle.

Footloose (2011) is no masterpiece, but then neither was the original. The story is just as silly, but this time around we can take the scenes between the dance numbers a bit more seriously.