Deep southern fried footloose

Rating: 6/10 (10 September 2011)

The new footloose is a real hodgepodge; dancing, Southern culture, love story, family, church, tragedy all sort of power-blended into with the spices of music styles of blues, country, Jack White and the footloose theme song. While perhaps brilliant in small areas, it doesn't make for a good film.
I don't know if it's because I'm a guy, I found Julianna Hough's character fascinating or maybe it's because it's something the director really knows how to do well. It's basically the same character as Christia Ricci's in Black Snake Moan. The themes are all there, young confused beautiful girl that's rebelling in sexuality but meets salvation from her troubles from a man who refuses the sexual advances for something more gentlemanly. Saying that, Justin Timberlake's acting and character in Black Snake Moan was one of the most atrocious things on a major movie. The new-comer dancing Kenny Wormald fares a lot better but doesn't manage to shine. Ren played by Kenny, never really exudes rebellion nor does the chemistry with Ariel (Hough) truly sizzle. He exudes the sinuous athleticism but rarely convinces as a public orator or as a rebel or a lover. Dennis Quaid doesn't look the part of a preacher and feels way too hip to be an antagonist to dancing.
For a movie with dancers in the lead, the movie is quite restrained in the dancing department. It is almost stolen by Willart (Miles Teller) who does his amateurish renditions that almost outshine Ren. There is never a real sizzling dance between Ren and Ariel except for a short one in a drive in movie field that is never given the full treatment. Even the factory solo dancing isn't cathartic and explosive enough to awe. The soundtrack that mixes blues, country, rock and with a very little pop does give the movie a distinctive feel but really detracts from dancing since the choreographers don't really become inventive with the odd soundtrack. The angst, family drama and tragedy never seem to gel with the footloose skeleton borrowed from the original movie, nor does it really gel with the dancing.
While the movie is truly Brewer's footloose, the movie would have greatly benefited from either more dancing or a more introspective study of catharsis through dance by a more charismatic lead. As it is, it's an odd movie - riding on the footloose name while trying to explore themes perhaps not quite suitable to a dance movie.