Review of Footloose (2011) by Cousinrk — 13 Oct 2011

One of the main issues with this version of Footloose is the believability of it. The concept of banning dancing is far-fetched enough but at least in the original you believed Bomont was a small town and that these laws could have been enacted.

The people and look of it all seemed legit. This new version felt fake to me, everyone was too pretty, the dance moves all too choreographed. The town just didn't seem all that small to me and it was so modernized that it just didn't seem possible that the townspeople could have gotten away with passing these laws.

The other main issue is the lead. Kevin Bacon's Ren was supposed to be a tough guy but he did have a good heart and ultimately was likeable. To me Kenny Wormald is not likeable at all, in fact he comes off as an a-hole.

I never felt much warmth coming from him and to me that really sinks the movie. Many of the scenes are taken from the original but given there own spin which leads to good and bad moments. I also felt they wasted opportunities to use more music as well.

Certain scenes I was expecting some backround music and when that didn't havppen, it threw me off a bit. I understand that part of the problem is that you are comparing it to the original and how they filmed it, so it makes it difficult for the updated version not to be overshadowed.

Speaking of updates, there are some that work. Ren's uncle is revamped in a good way and the actor playing Willard does a good job as Ren's best friend and comedic foil.