Week 41: Footloose

Last week we went to another pre-screening.  Free movies are cool.  We saw the remake of Footloose.  I was a little younger than Deb when the original came out so I probably don't remember it to the extent that she does.  I wasn't in my teenage years yet so it didn't stick with me quite as much but of course it was a well known movie of my youth.  I mean who didn't see Footloose?  (Except maybe Russ.  I'm not sure he even saw all the Star Wars movies when they came out. *gasp*) 

Like Deb said, they pretty much stuck to the original concept in almost every way except just to give it an updated feel and maybe a little more ethnicity.  As a remake, I think it worked just fine.  All the actors they chose were good.  I totally agree that the dancing was on a much higher caliber this go around.  Although I do think random acts of dancing in a movie must have been more acceptable and less cheesy then they are now.  Taking out frustration and aggression against the man by dancing in a warehouse by yourself was uncomfortable and slightly embarrassing to me.  I don't remember feeling like that when I saw the original.  It all just seemed way cool back then.  I guess that's the difference from being 7 versus 33.    

Julianne Hough was cute and perfect for her role as was Kenny Wormald.  Ditto for Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell.  Overall the casting was good and the movie was fun and entertaining.  I don't think anything will compare to the original but do they ever? 

To Sum it up: Good cast, fun dancing and overall entertaining.

Week 41: "Footloose"

We jumped back about 26 years this week and went to the remake of "Footloose". The original movie came out in 1984, I was 14, the same age as my oldest daughter. I think this is the first movie I have seen remade, that I actually remember the first one exceptionally well. Who wouldn't as a 14 year old girl.

This remake was pretty impressive. I think the thing that I noticed was that this time around the actors appeared to be dancers, taught to act, vs Actors taught to dance. In fact I read a clip from the choreographer who said that he had to have the dancers tone it down because they were suppose to be portraying teenagers who didn't have a background in dancing.

The two main actors, played by Julianne Hough and Kenny Wormald, could dance...and are professional dancers. It definately was apparent that these two actors were dancers, I know I didn't know anyone who could dance like that in high school with no formal training. However, that wasn't the point of the movie, and the fact that these kids could all dance (even Willard, played by Miles Teller, picked it all up pretty fast.) was pretty cool when watching the movie. Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell(I swear that woman doesn't age) did great as the parents, but there is something to be said about having to fill the shoes of Jim Lithgow and Dianne Wiest.

I think the best way I can describe the movie is this...it's the same "Footloose" with less clothes, better dancing, sexier, and heavier language...pretty much just caught up to the times. The movie was good and I think my 14 year old daughter will remember it as an icon for her time as well...but give me the original with Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer, there is something to be said for the old sentimental.

See you next week.