Review of Footloose (1984) by Moe R — 11 Oct 2012

I really liked this movie more than I thought I would. Not only was the music awesome, but there was also a story behind this as well.

After the death of the Reverend Shaw Moore's (played brilliantly by John Lithgow) son (Ariel's brother that we don't find out until later in the film), he decides to put a ban on dancing and rock music (apparently because of an accident that caused his son to die while drunk and playing a form of "tag"). Ren McCormick is a newbie to this Midwestern town, and has a passion for dancing and music. However, when he finds out about the ban, he gets pretty upset and fed up, then he decides he feels he should address the issue to try and approve it to the people in charge.

Also, I liked the several character developments, especially an early Chris Penn (R.I.P.) as his best friend Willard. Willard doesn't know how to dance, and is pretty much shy and afraid to towards his girlfriend Rusty (Sarah Jessica Parker), so Ren decides to help him and teach him in a comic and nice fashion.

Overall, it's a pretty good drama that's not afraid to throw in the bits on comedy into it (the whole "Men At Work" and "The Police" joke). Worth the view. However, I WILL not be seeing the remake of this.