MovieChat Forums > Footloose (2011) Discussion > NO reason to remake a classic.....howeve...

NO reason to remake a classic.....however, I gotta say...

posted 13 years ago by comedygold
19 replies | jump to latest

I was dragged to this remake.
I believe the original IS a classic and wanted no modern version to hip-hop up Ren & the yellow bug.

But it was shot here in Atlanta metro so I had to go and see all the familiar small town (actually just Atlanta suburb) buildings

First up, the criticism...

Hough could not act her way out of a paper bag...in the beginning. Somehow, her abilities visibly cranked up midway through. I knew who Hough was but had never seen her do anything. Her dancing was tight and she is amazingly hot...despite her voice.

The Hugh Jackman child playing Ren had the worst Boston accent. Somehow, though, this actor is from Massachusetts. I honestly thought he was covering an Australian voice. Look, there is no other Kevin Bacon and certainly there will never be a six degrees game based on this kid. Still, he did fine.

Willard was actually funnier in this and they cast a Rusty that is just as ugly as Sarah Jessica Parker, so kudos!!

Quaid was meh, McDowell as well.

The cast in '84 were better actors all around to be sure.

Still, the movie won me over. A little in the beginning, a lot later.
Main reason: it honored the original. It did subtle things without cheesy nods to the original. No cameos, just that all important yellow bug. :)

It opened with the original "Footloose" title track focusing on all the dancing feet.
Willard's learning montage used the original "Let's Hear it for the Boy"
Both great decisions.

The modernization was seamless as well. No hard core, in your face hip-hop and culture shock.
The variety of dance and music genres were fantastic. There was some rock, some hip-hop, some country.

It was modern.

The original was small town Texas and blacks did not play a big role. Yes, there was plenty of representation on the soundtrack but not in the characters. Well, this version demonstrated the blend that is much more representative of what I know to be Georgia and most of popular American culture today, so good job there also.

They pulled at certain heartstrings as well with Ren's mother and much more exploration into the polarizing loss within Ariel's family. For some, I think this was emotionally more connecting than even the first movie.

They did a good job. They did a movie worth watching again.
For a remake, a modern re-telling, they did a solid tribute. Honest.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] thereseuphemiaabernathy 12 years ago

I quite agree.
It was quite a bit more enjoyable than I'd anticipated, but of course, can't touch the original. A remake wasn't at all necessary, but as they go...if a 'Footloose' one had to be made...this wasn't too shabby. Definitely energizing with a lot of terrific dancing--which is a large part of what you're looking for!

[–] tomtac 12 years ago

well said and agreed, except for the line about Rusty, that is, Ziah Colon.

Exotic, and a fascinating face, and hair down to there ... If you saw my wife, you'd understand, because the two are terribly similar.

[–] Bob-45 12 years ago

Never considered the original much of a classic (my wife disagrees). Lori Singer never impressed me much as an actress and Kevin Bacon can't dance. This version has some pretty terrible flaws as well; Dennis Quaid is terribly miscast (I could see him asking Julianne Hough for a date, not as her preacher-father). Hough's character is so unsympathetically written,she deserved to get punched in the face.
The climactic fight scene seems totally unmotivated and cried out for a little exposition. So, there are only a few genuine moments and they only come about 20 minutes from the end. Nonetheless, I don't watch dance movies for great drama and this one has it all over the first one as far as the dancing is concerned. I'd watch it again, which is more than I can say for the original.

[–] spasek 12 years ago

I have to say that I was extremely hesitant to watch this remake. I was 13 when I saw the original Footloose. However, the remake was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Kevin Bacon brought attitude to the character of Ren. He walked with a swagger. Footloose was like "A Rebel Without a Cause" set to music, and Bacon filled the role beautifully. Wormald can dance, and certainly better than Bacon, but I thought he just didn't have enough of that attitude. However, Wormald was good. I'll definitely give him that.

Julianne Hough is certainly a far more attractive Ariel than Lori Singer. The original film put a lot more emphasis on the struggling relationship between Ariel and Shaw. The remake didn't do enough of that. Lori Singer was able to tap into the teen-angst much better than Hough. Hough is a newcomer to acting. Hopefully, she will only improve.

John Lithgow...what can I say. He WAS Reverend Moore. I really like Dennis Quaid, but he just seemed really out of place in this film. In many scenes, he was trying too hard, while Lithgow just made it look so easy. You could see the pain in his face and his determination to "save the people of Beaumont." And as previously stated, not enough emphasis and time was placed on the deteriorating relationship between Reverend Moore and Ariel in the remake.

Andie MacDowell just didn't get enough screen time. And there was hardly any screen time at all between Vi and Shaw in the remake.

Miles Teller won me over as Willard. He brought a certain charm that made the character a bit more unique to Chris Penn's Willard. I think Teller did a great job of simply making Willard his own and not trying to copy Penn.

The dancing in the remake had some good showcases, even though the finale in the original was far better (and longer!).

The music...well, I'm sorry but they tried to copy songs (Footloose, Almost Paradise, and I Need a Hero) when they should have either used the original music or gone another way. Sorry, but only Kenny Loggins can do Footloose, and they should have played that one for the finale.

Overall, the remake was good. The areas that weakened it, compared to the original, were a lack of emphasis between Ariel and Shaw, as well as a lack of chemistry between Ariel and Ren. The dancing was good, and some of the music. Its strengths were definitely in Ren's connection with his mother, and I really liked the relationship between Ren and Wes (who I never liked much in the original version).

It's true that I will likely not watch the remake again. The original Footloose will always be the one for me to watch, but I can understand how and why the remake has its own following.

It's true that I never read responses.

[–] hilljayne 12 years ago

I have to say...this honestly wasn't a bad remake. I was pleasantly surprised.

Dammit Carol Sue, where is the vodka?!