Footloose (2011)

Footloose: Directed by Craig Brewer. With Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell. City teenager Ren MacCormack moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace.

“As a cynical movie writer, all the lines were ready to go once the chance to review Footloose finally arrived: u0026quot;Itu0026#39;s a BLT without the Baconu0026quot;, u0026quot;1980s cheddar is already old, now molding thirty years later.u0026quot;, and u0026quot;(Insert rant on Hollywood remakes here)u0026quot;. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut damn-it, the Footloose remake doesnu0026#39;t suck; even if it has no reason to exist.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn the hands of director Craig Brewer, Footloose manages to overcome a one note plot (which was apart of the original as well), potentially obnoxious covers of the original soundtrack, and pulls out memorable performances from each of its leads.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe Footloose remake doesnu0026#39;t make any major changes to the plot line of the original, which essentially boils down to kids being legally prohibited to dance because of a car crash where several teenagers tragically died (they say drink responsibly in the TV ads… isnu0026#39;t that enough?)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eApparently, an epic fail of that size just canu0026#39;t go unpunished by forcing everyone who wants to dance to keep those moves at home – where they belong. Despite the law, young Ren McCormack (Kenny Wormald) is determined to shake things up and get his boogie on. Along the way, heu0026#39;ll attempt to woo the reverendu0026#39;s daughter, Ariel Shaw (Julianne Hough), while also taking down the preacher man himself (Dennis Quaid) at the city council.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe plot is laughable, cheesy, and amazingly Brewer manages to make it seem dramatic. No, thereu0026#39;s never really a scene that moves past shallow, but there are moments where Hough and Wormald are able to engage in real emotions that have back-story and plausible reasoning. Itu0026#39;s an accomplishment that should probably be awarded with an Oscar, but alas, itu0026#39;s not that kind of award show.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAmong the many triumphs of Footloose, first and foremost is the dancing. Itu0026#39;s simply stunning to watch, and is a mixture of step by step reproducing the original dance moves, and adding a new flare as well. The music is the same combination of old and new, and doesnu0026#39;t miss a step (except for the fact that Kenny Logginsu0026#39;s original Footloose plays during the opening scene where the aforementioned teenagers crash — an obvious and egregious mixing of separate universes).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSpecial note should also be given to Miles Teller , who plays Willard, originally portrayed by Chris Penn. It seems blasphemous to say, but Teller is as charming as Penn was in 1984. Itu0026#39;s once again proof that Brewer knew exactly what he was doing with this project, and each gamble paid off. Brewer didnu0026#39;t pull any punches (or slaps for that matter) in his attempt to update Footloose for the MTV generation… err from the MTV generation. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOkay, the whole MTV generation thing is confusing. Brewer achieves the update however, despite everything working against him, managing to gives the audience something between a choking laugh and a smile. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverallu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCasting two professional dancers in the lead roles turned out to be a winning decision in regards to dramatic elements, as well as the physical/musical ones. itu0026#39;s a shame that Footloose has to exist in the world, but now that it does, this reviewer is okay with it. Strip away all the years of Saturday night on TNT love for the original, and Footloose (2011) is just as exciting, cheesy, and engaging as the original (even without the Bacon).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOn the Side u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s nice to see Dennis Quaid in a role that he doesnu0026#39;t phone in. Still, heu0026#39;s borderline. Maybe he just Skyped it in this time.”