Cut Footloose

Rating: Null/10 (19 July 2011)

Footloose is probably the most overrated and least impressive eighties film I can think of it. Without the music, Kevin Bacon, and the end dance scene, there is nothing memorable or special about this one note film. I can't even put it into a genre. It's not comedy because very few moments are funny. It's not a drama because it is too goofy to be one. And it's not a musical because there is no singing. This could very well fit the "miscellaneous" section in any film category.
Kevin Bacon plays sweet and simple Ren. Ren moves with his mother from Chicago to the small rural town of Bomont. Upon learning that things are much more uptight in the town, he also comes to discover that rock music and dancing is banned. This is because Reverend Shaw Moore (Lithgow) believes that is nothing but a troublemaking nuisance. Ariel (Singer), the Reverend's daughter, begins to catch the eye of Ren so now he has two things on his plate.
The main problem is Footloose tries too hard to leave a mark on the eighties fabric and just ends up being a hodge podge of different things. For one, it's a movie that focuses on a serious issue, the banning of music. But its comical characters and poorly written script dumb it down. The film, also, breaks out into dance sessions with no explanation other than to showcase its soundtrack.
The soundtrack is pleasant to listen to. It's filled with great tunes from back in the day. Including the title song by Kenny Loggins, a favorite of mine. Another thing is tries to be is an awkward love story between the Reverend's daughter and Ren. The Reverend's daughter can be sweet and sincere, but she's not the brightest bulb because she does the impossible and stands on the edge of two cars while a semi comes closer and closer. That's intelligent.
Footloose is harmless because it doesn't offend anyone. No one will take anything to heart, except the fact I think this film is a case of "talked about too much, resulting in too little." There is enough here to sustain a movie, but everything is taken in such an awkward, one dimensional manor that it's hard to like.
Some people will be able to find the humor, the drama, and the fun in Footloose and that's great. Unfortunately, because the film is such a mixture of various genres that are all done in an incomplete manor I doubt that will be an easy thing to do. I wonder if Kevin Bacon had been replaced with someone, unknown, like C. Thomas Howell and if the music had been less common, but still boasted the same topic and same name if it would've been half as popular as this is.
Starring: Kevin Bacon, John Lithgow, Lori Singer, and Dianne Wiest. Directed by: Herbert Ross.