Entertaining flick, decent message, decent characters

Rating: 7/10 (31 August 2000)

"Footloose" is a lot of fun to watch. The main high-school characters are very likable and we sympathize with their "oppression." Even the initially unsympathetic authority characters, led by the Rev. Moore (expertly portrayed by John Lithgow), are given some genuine depth in this movie. They aren't just mindless martinets. Their beliefs are shown to have some credible foundation, although most of us wouldn't agree with them.
The kids, too, are shown fairly realistically. They are not portrayed as over-idealized defenders of artistic freedom. They just want to have fun. And it is fun watching them have fun. I was particularly drawn to the slightly goofy, yet faithful, secondary characters played by Chris Penn and Sarah Jessica Parker. I thought to myself, "Those are the kind of people I'd like to hang out with." The picture of adolescent friendship shown in this movie is very appealing.
Sure, the plot is a tad formulaic. But who says you can't have fun with a good formula, particularly when it presents a decent message embodied in decent characters? And oh yeah, the dancing and the music are good too.