Harmless fun and lots of memories

Rating: Null/10 (14 January 2001)

'Footloose' is harmless fun that brings on a wave of nostalgia any time I see it on cable. I remember seeing this movie at the local multiplex when it was new, loving the music, and loving the rebellion in the film even more. What fourteen year old "under the thumb of oppressive authority (translation: be home by 11pm, young man!)" wouldn't love that stuff.
I remember that this was the soundtrack everyone had to have that year. And who didn't have "Almost Paradise" played at the school dance that year?

I remember reading articles in newspapers about the success of this movie. Some said it was a return to making musicals in Hollywood, perhaps overstating and/or misunderstanding the movie's appeal.
Of course, watching it now as an adult I can see that it isn't very realisitc, especially when one realizes that most of the issues in this movie would have been easily solved with one well-publicized lawsuit from the ACLU. But hey, I've always maintained that movies are built for entertainment purposes, which gives them the right to suspend reality for an hour or two!