Footloose Review

MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 1984

Footloose is an entertaining drama/musical that depicts the struggles of a big city boy that moves to a small town smack dab in the Bible belt. Not only must he fight to be accepted by his peers, he discovers that town law bans two of his greatest loves: rock music and dancing. Faced with such oppressive limitations, he attempts to enlighten the townsfolk so that everyone may dance and celebrate again.

The plot had all the markings of a failure in the making, but somehow director Herbert Ross, along with the assistance of some very fine actors, created a gem that remains to this day one of the best representations of the 80's attitude, style, music and culture.

Footloose is the type of movie that someone that harbors a disdain for musicals can enjoy. While dancing does play a central theme throughout the film, and we are provided with no shortage of well-choreographed and enthusiastic dance scenes, at its core Footloose is a drama featuring believable characters, a smart script and superb acting. Although this movie is sometimes referred to as a "teen" movie, in reality it's the type of film people of all ages can enjoy.

If you weren't a child of the 80's, the plot is going to seem about as far-fetched as they come. In a day and age where vulgar rap songs dominate the radios, it would seem ludicrous that little more than 20 years ago many adults in small country towns harbored negative feelings about innocent pop/rock songs and dancing. Yet as odd as it would sound to today's children, such an attitude was not uncommon, for many ultra-conservatives believed both to be leading causes of teenage immorality and promiscuity.

The plot was basically summed up in the Pre-Show, so it's about as basic and easy to grasp as plots come. But don't allow that fact to fool you into thinking it's a shallow film, for although it's certainly a fun movie it does take itself as well as its characters seriously. There are a couple of one-dimensional caricatures to act as protagonists, but the overwhelming majority of characters behave just as real people would.

In this type of film one expects the big city "rebel" to be an angst-ridden punk with a chip on his shoulder, yet Footloose deftly avoids that pitfall. Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), the new kid in town, is very reasonable, peaceful and intelligent. Even as he attempts to stimulate change among the adults, he does so in a respectful and honest manner. He's not a bad ass… he's just a decent kid that enjoys music and dancing, and can't bear living within a town that forbids both.

John Lithgow plays the Reverend Shaw Moore, a very conservative preacher that sincerely believes he is doing the best to protect his teenage daughter, Ariel (Lori Singer), and the rest of the town's children a favor by opposing potential sources of corruption. He's not a power-monger or unreasonable individual by any means; he's a good man struggling to do the right thing.

I was impressed with the manner in which the characters were painted in shades of gray, rather than be allowed to become caricatures designed for us to cheer or jeer at. But the smart script is only partially responsible for the realism these characters possess. The other half of the movie's success was the actors and actresses.

Kevin Bacon and John Lithgow simply nailed their roles; there was no room for improvement whatsoever. They put forth passionate and realistic performances that makes the viewer care for both characters, despite the fact they are both at odds. It's hard to take sides when both characters are good individuals at their core.

Lori Singer deserves an honorable mention for her performance as Ariel Moore, the daughter that perhaps tries a bit too hard to rebel against her father's ways. Although at the start of the movie she doesn't appear terribly likeable, we start to see her true conflicted nature as the movie scratches under the surface of her character.

Chris Penn stars as Willard Hewitt, a country boy that quickly befriends McCormack and tags along with him throughout much of the film. If you're used to seeing the older Penn play tough guy and mafia roles, you'll be surprised at how different he was in this film. Like Singer, Penn deserves special mention for his performance.

As I move towards the conclusion of this review it dawns on me that I left out a third component of this movie's success: the soundtrack. The soundtrack for Footloose may very well be the best movie soundtrack of the 80's, for it features so many smash hits and memorable pop and rock tracks that it's actually far superior to most 80's greatest hits compilations! Even those who may dislike the actual film would undoubtedly love the soundtrack if they enjoy 80's music in the least bit.

Aside from an occasional cheesy moment here or there in the movie, there's really not too much to criticize. The only aspect that drew me out of the movie a little was the final dance, where teens that never attended dances before were suddenly able to tear up the dance floor like old pros. It's a minor thing to quibble about, and most likely unreasonable since Footloose is also meant to be fun. Why not allow the movie to go out with a stylish bang?

I heartily recommend fans of 80's cinema to check out Footloose; it's an enjoyable film with heart. And if you enjoy 80's music, make sure you pick up the Footloose CD soundtrack also!

Movie rating: 8 stars

If you enjoyed Footloose you may also find the following films to be of interest:

• Dirty Dancing
• Flashdance

Enjoy the Footloose experience in the comfort of your own home with these products!

DVD

Soundtrack

Poster Footloose Buy this Mini Poster at AllPosters.com

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