A remake of the iconic 1984 original with Kevin Bacon, "Footloose" tells the story of a city boy who comes to a town where dancing has been banned. The reason for the ban has changed - this time it's a post-dance car crash that killed four teenagers, including the Reverend's son - but the ossified city council and small-town attitudes remain. The dancing is spirited and updated, and the acting, by Kenny Wormald as Ren, Julianne Hough as Ariel, and Dennis Quaid as Rev Moore, is outstanding. Miles Teller as Ren's dancing-challenged buddy Willard adds a skillful and much-needed lighter note to the movie. Wormald and Hough, trained professional dancers, have all the right moves, although I would have preferred more visible footwork and fewer fast cuts. The conflicts seem too heavy and cartoonish for the rest of the movie, and we're not used to seeing such respectful rebels. But maybe that's a throwback to the '80's.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Footloose ***
A remake of the iconic 1984 original with Kevin Bacon, "Footloose" tells the story of a city boy who comes to a town where dancing has been banned. The reason for the ban has changed - this time it's a post-dance car crash that killed four teenagers, including the Reverend's son - but the ossified city council and small-town attitudes remain. The dancing is spirited and updated, and the acting, by Kenny Wormald as Ren, Julianne Hough as Ariel, and Dennis Quaid as Rev Moore, is outstanding. Miles Teller as Ren's dancing-challenged buddy Willard adds a skillful and much-needed lighter note to the movie. Wormald and Hough, trained professional dancers, have all the right moves, although I would have preferred more visible footwork and fewer fast cuts. The conflicts seem too heavy and cartoonish for the rest of the movie, and we're not used to seeing such respectful rebels. But maybe that's a throwback to the '80's.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment