We all know how remakes usually go, sad attempts at reviving classics that should have just been left in the past so as not to wreck the culture and influence they had on a generation. So I was a bit apprehensive about Footloose, because let’s be honest, Kevin Bacon did it so superbly, could it get any better? Well, it didn’t. The acting was average, the storyline was predictable, in fact almost an exact replica of the original, the filming was on the safe-side and there was more cheese than the ‘Cheese Extreme’ from Pizza Hut. But… I friggen loved it.
Ren McCormack (Kenny Wormald), a city boy from Boston moves to his aunt and uncle’s house in Bomont, a small town that has outlawed everything that makes teenagers teenagers. Certain books, loud music and even dancing. Ren’s not down with that because he’s a bit of a dancer, so sets out to change this law.
And let’s not forget about Ren’s crush, the rebellious Reverend’s daughter, Ariel (Julianne Hough) who’s busy getting busy with a dropkick called Chuck until Ren shows up. What’s a teenage angst film without a bit of lovers conflict?
Yeah – like I said, unoriginal story line, with dialogue copy-pasted directly from Bacon’s lips. But this didn’t matter in the slightest.. This re-make has managed to capture the ethos of the original and sprinkle a bit of modern-day clothing, music and culture and made you want to kick off your Sunday shoes. The cheese makes you smile and feel like an awkward, spotty-faced teenager again. To add to that, Miles Teller’s character, Willard, was brilliant. Funny, dorky, gawky – just like your first boyfriend.
I was so pumped that I went home and watched the original and I’ve been humming, singing and whistling the theme song for over 24 hours. Yup, this film isn’t groundbreaking, creative or original but it’ll make you want to google ‘line-dancing classes’ and cut you jean shorts just a little bit shorter.
There are some steamy scenes, swearing and a little bit of church-bashing, but we knew that from the original. Having said that, it is a bit more sexy than the 1984 version, because according to my mum, times have changed. You can now buy contraceptive from the dairy, rather than giving you pharmacist a knowing wink while asking for a ‘french letter’.
Earlier I said it didn’t get any better than the original, and I still stand by it. But it didn’t get any worse either and I think that’s a pretty big feat considering the original. FILMGUIDE rating: Reviewed by: Nerice
Comments are closed.
There is something about me..
