|
Footloose
| Released |
14 October 2011 |
| Director |
Craig Brewer |
Starring
|
Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Ziah Colon, Ray McKinnon, Miles Teller, Ser'Darius Blain, Patrick John Flueger, Andie MacDowell |
| Writer(s) |
Dean Pitchford, Craig Brewer |
Producer(s)
|
Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Neil Meron, Dylan Sellers, Brad Weston, Craig Zadan |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
113 minutes |
| Genre |
Comedy, drama, music |
| Rating |
12A |
|
|
Remakin’ Bacon.
And so another remake limps down the red carpet to be met at first with tuts of disapproval then, inevitably, with sighs of boredom. This time it’s Kevin Bacon’s ‘80s dance rebellion Footloose; a film held in great esteem by many. Indeed, Craig Brewer (director and Footloose fan) repeatedly turned down the project until he was happy that he would be allowed freedom to do justice to a film that meant a lot to him as a teenager. So, has he managed it? Not quite.
The film begins with a road accident in which five teenagers are killed on their way home from a party. In reaction the community, led by Rev. Moore (Dennis Quaid), goes into lockdown. A curfew is imposed on the under eighteens and there is a complete ban on unsupervised dances. Several years later, enter cityboy Ren McCormack (Kenny Wormald) on a quest to shake up the town, repeal the laws and get together with rebellious Reverend’s daughter Ariel (Julianne Hough).
Despite the relatively untouched plot, Brewer’s Footloose is an okay teen dance film but that’s about it. To his credit, he does try and throw some grit into proceedings by having his teen ensemble act like real teens - drinking, taking drugs and fighting. But with a plot like this, ‘realism’ can only go so far; what Footloose really needs is an infectious spirit and a great leading man. On both counts it falls far short of the mark. Kenny Wormald may be light on his feet but he doesn’t have the acting chops to convincingly carry a film. Here, styled like a music video James Dean, he’s too immaculate to be interesting. Even his dancing is full of acrobatics rather than the down and dirty spirit of the original. Opposite him, Hough is better and manages emotional scenes with more conviction. She is at least better than Quaid, who wanders around looking constipated. As for the cutting loose, well the dancing scenes are just okay - lacking in excitement despite the whooping of the cast.
All in all, Footloose is a lukewarm experience. I doubt that this one will effect a generation of teenagers in the same way the original has. Though that doesn’t mean it won’t get another reboot. Let’s expect to cut loose again in another twenty-seven years.
-
Linda O’Brien |
