Brewer's Remake of Footloose Doesn't Work

Rating: 2/10 (27 March 2012)

This remake of the timeless, Kevin Bacon starring classic doesn't even make you want to tap your foot or even dance to the beat. No, it might make you want to get up and leave instead of get up and dance.
A fantastic director, Craig Brewer made some of the most gritty and beautifully made dramas that involve a main character, played by an African American, that has some sort of inner conflict, as well as conflict with everyday life. A great example of this is his movie "Hustle and Flow" which holds a 7.4 rating on IMDb and an 84% on rottentomatoes.com. Another great film of his is the somewhat well known movie "Black Snake Moan." Again, it involves an African American with an inner conflict and outer conflict in a gritty, edgy, dramatic setting.
But, what about Footloose? Why was it so bad?
Brewer's worst film, in my opinion, didn't work for me. Specifically, his attempts at making a remake of the 80's dance flick just didn't make me want to get up and dance. It was boring, unreal, and just didn't work for me.
But, what else could have made me give this movie a 2 out of 10?
Brewer tried to branch out and failed miserably. He wasn't himself doing this film and didn't show any parallels from his gritty dramas to this family-friendly, "funny" flick. The only thing I was laughing at was the fact that it was a terrible film. In no way, shape, or form would it make me want to watch the original film (if I had seen this before the original). Non-believable acting, terrible dancing scenes, and trying to be 50's-esque and integrate modern day conveniences, this movie just doesn't bust a move for me.
So, simply put, I'll put this in pros and cons.
Pros: >Dennis Quaid did a pretty good job in the film. His acting was sub-par, but not fantastic. >Ren and Ariel were pretty good, in the dancing scenes. It was nice to see actual dancers playing dancers. >The setting was nice and very simplistic, yet somewhat believable.
Cons: >The acting was not believable in the least bit. The dancing, however, was somewhat good. >Not like the original at all. Too much going on. >Dennis Quaid, although doing a pretty good job acting, was not the right guy to play the reverend. >Dancing was a bit too flamboyant. >The only good parts of the film were the fight scenes and the credits. >Ren did not look, at all, like Kevin Bacon and did not act like him at all.
For all you fans of this movie and look at my other reviews, please do not judge the book by its cover. Yes, it might seem that I like horror movies and the fact that I think that every film, except for horror and comedy films are crap, I do not think that. And, don't take into account that I am a guy therefore I think all dance flicks are terrible. I am open to ALL films and this one just wasn't in the cut for me.
So, all in all, the remake of Footloose is, quite possibly, Brewer's worst film. I hope that Brewer will learn to stay away from dance flicks and lean more towards gritty dramas that involve an African American lead role.