My Review of Footloose (2011 remake)

Okay, I have recently reviewed the original 1984 version and the 2011 remake, and I felt I should list out the good and the bad with this remake.

Unfortunately, the bad far outweighs the good in this film.

Please Note: This review expresses my opinion of the film only.

THE GOOD:

Miles Teller - Hands down the standout performance of the film, Miles Teller's portrayal of Willard was so charming and engaging that I found myself riveted to the screen whenever he was on. He managed to recapture the magic of Chris Penn's performance while simultaneously making it his own and updating it for the times.

The Accident That Caused It All - Some people saw it as unnecessary to the film, but I felt that the accident at the beginning really served a great purpose. There's a phrase: "A picture is worth a thousand words." By SHOWING the accident and how senseless it was (as opposed to finding out about it later through backstory), it was meant to show exactly what led to the draconian measures taken by the town and how it affected the people therein.

Ray McKinnon - I thoroughly enjoyed Ray as Uncle Wes, a man who, despite (initially) agreeing with the town's laws, was willing to stand up for what was right, and to do so in a funny and charming way. Of course, having him portrayed as he was originally despite Ren's circumstances as they were reimagined, would have been a waste of McKinnon's talents as an actor.


***************************************************************

THE BAD:

The Dance Scenes - Compared to the 1984 version, the dancing seemed a little more polished. That's the problem. These are supposed to be high school kids, not professional dancers. The dancing should have more passion and fire than polish, especially when the raw power of dance is what should be shown. This problem, of course, is due to...

Professional Dancers Instead Of Actors - I can understand the desire to have the two leads be portrayed by pro dancers, given the current popularity of professional dancing on television, but if the pro dancers cannot act their way out of a wet paper sack, the movie will not do well.

Julianne Hough - Okay, very pretty woman. Very good dancer. Very annoying voice. I wanted to mute the television whenever she spoke. It also seemed like the film was partially designed to focus on different aspects of her anatomy, almost like a very expensive video dating profile. The only time I felt anything when she was on camera was when she was talking to her father in the church about her brother. Even then, it wasn't all that great.

Kenny Wormald - I will give props to this man for trying to fill Kevin Bacon's shoes. Unfortunately, he didn't succeed for two reasons: 1) He can't really act, and 2) The film wasn't good.

Too Much of a Remake - The key to having a good remake is to find the balance between homage and originality. Footloose had far too many shot by shot retakes and word for word recounts for my comfort level.

The Music - Either use the original songs, or find new ones. I am so sick and tired of people remaking good music into schlocky crap because they aren't creative enough to write their own music anymore.

***************************************************************

Conclusion: Footloose (2011) is an ultimately forgettable film, it's only salvation being the exceptional performances by Miles Teller and Roy McKinnon.

Corrupting Impressionable Youths Since 1976.