Fun Teenage Rebelion Picture

Rating: Null/10 (7 September 2012)

Footloose (1984)
*** (out of 4)
A teen (Kevin Bacon) from Chicago moves to a small city, which has been ruined by a preacher (John Lithgow) and his wife (Dianne Wiest) who have convinced everyone that dancing and rock music are sins. The teen gets in trouble for what he believes in but soon he starts to show the others what a good time can come from dancing. Yes, the story is incredibly silly and yes it's incredibly predictable but who cares when something is this fun? FOOTLOOSE is just like those drive-in films from the 1950s, the ones that tried to explain to parents why rock and roll music wouldn't turn them into evil demons. This type of film was running wild back in the 1950s and I think it works perfectly well when updated to 1984. Again, I don't blame anyone for attacking the story but those who do so are just taking it way too serious when the main goal of the movie was to have viewers just kicking back and having a good time. I think the majority of the success is due to the terrific performance from Bacon who perfectly fits the role of the outcast who tries to take on an entire community. Bacon was exceptionally believable in the part and handled everything from the dramatic scenes to the lighter ones. Even his dancing hits the high marks. Lori Singer doesn't come close to matching him but she makes for a nice supporting player in the role of the girlfriend. Lithgow is his typical entertaining self and it's nice seeing Wiest even though her role is terribly underwritten. Another big thumbs up has to go to Christopher Penn in his role of the redneck who doesn't know how to dance. Another major factor to the film's success is the terrific soundtrack including the hit title track by Kenny Loggins. I'm not sure why anyone would go into FOOTLOOSE expecting some sort of art picture. It's a fast, fun film dealing with teenagers and rock and roll. It might not be a Bergman film but it's still very entertaining and that's the most important thing.