Can't Touch the Original But It's Good

Rating: Null/10 (7 December 2012)

Footloose (2011)
*** (out of 4)
Remake of the 1984 cult classic about a small town who pretty much shuts down all alcohol, loud music and dancing after five seniors are killed in a car crash after a party. Soon a guy from Boston (Kenny Wormald) coming to town and wanting to see things changed. He ends up involved with a troubled young girl (Julianne Hough) who just happens to be the daughter of the preacher (Dennis Quaid) keeping everything under control. There's not a single frame in this remake that comes close to the appeal of the first movie but based on its own merits, this here really isn't too bad and it's entertaining enough to make it worth sitting through once but if you're unfamiliar with the Kevin Bacon version then that's definitely the one to start with. There were a few problems with this version including the fact that the film really drags at 112-minutes. The movie feels quite long at times and especially the final thirty-minutes when things turn a bit too slow. Also, you have to take into consideration that this is pretty far from original as it's basically just a straight remake, although this one here updates some of the music. Still, for the most part I found the story to be entertaining and the characters, while not as good as in the original, fun enough to make this worth sitting through. I thought Wormald did a pretty good job in the lead, although that annoying Boston accent seemed to come and go in ever scene. Hough made for a good good girl trying to be bad. Quaid was fun in his supporting role and we even get Andie McDowell playing his wife. The rest of the teens fit their roles nicely. The music here is another plus as it sticks to some old stuff as well as mixing in the new while also sampling from many genres. This remake of FOOTLOOSE certainly wasn't needed and as I said it doesn't improve on a single thing but it's still an entertaining movie.