Footloose gets the remake treatment, and the end result really isn’t too bad at all.
Here’s our review…
Oh, Mr Bacon.
Its been so long.
That red tuxedo… That yellow Volkswagen Beetle… That warehouse dance sequence.
What good isFootloosewithout that monumental fox of eighties funkiness?
Can a fresh-faced imposter do justice to those Sunday shoes?
Heck, is it worth his while even fastening his shoelaces?
Footloosers everywhere will be jumpy.
As the man himself would say, jump back!
This remake, which has been in the works since 2008, is not all that bad.
Rens Beetle is a key survivor, but here its a jalopy in need of a soup-up.
The message is clear.
Something vintage is getting a working over but its being done with love.
Its to Brewers credit that, as a fan of the original, he embraces every opportunity for homage.
Thanks to some feisty moves, this remake is assured and compelling.
Even if it is a remake.
There is a trade-off.
Furthermore, nothing can top Bacon doing the half hambone while rocking out to Never by Moving Pictures.
Its a personal thing, I guess.
Some changes seem cosmetic, the result of serendipity or time passing.
Other changes seem predicated on a desire to jumpstart our sympathies.
In this story, Ren has to move in with his uncles family after losing his mother to cancer.
There is also heavier emphasis placed on the car crash that killed five teens and kick-started the dancing ban.
Perhaps this narrative tweaking represents a coddling to low attention spans.
Still, it ensures we have an immediate measure of sympathy for the preacher.
So what of the actor tasked with taking Ren where Bacon feared to tread?
There were a few casting stumbles on the way to filling that tight T-shirt.
Her portrayal of Ariel Shaw may prove more divisive, although this is no reflection on her dancing.
Singer brought a haughty gaucheness to the role, while this Ariel is less brittle than bonkers.
Still, shes sweet enough.
(She does look like Jennifer Anniston, though.)
We cant discussFootloosewithout mentioning the music.
Brewer is not just contemporising the film, but nailing its geographical authenticity with what he calls Southern grit.
Hence the soundtrack fuses hip hop with alternative rock, tub-thumping country fare, alt-country riffs and melodic ballads.
Brewer makes big concessions to the original soundtrack.
Its also a nice surprise to spotBang Your Headby Quiet Riot on Rens MP3 player.
Still, I missWaiting for a Girl Like Youby Foreigner.
The films climactic brawl was better with Lou Gramm hitting his proverbial sweet spot.
The big question with this film is why?
Presumably, Brewer thinks Bacon and co wouldnt have the same resonance with a young audience in a post-Gleeworld.
And this reboot is a likable, jolly romp.
Admittedly, the original was a product and a reflection of its time.
Thats partly why I loved it.
But I hope this remake brings home the Bacon love.
Its not right that his most memorable supporting role of late was inAmerican Dadas a prosthetic nose.
Still, maybe one day, people will be saying the same about Wormalds nose, too.
I give it three shoes.
You are hereby instructed to tap your inner Loggins and bust some shapes.
Because everybodys got to cut loose.
Rating:
3 out of 5
