Footloose - 2011

Paramount Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment, Dylan Sellers Productions

Directed by Craig Brewer

Cast:

• Ren MacCormick – Kenny Wormwald
• Ariel Moore – Julianne Hough
• Rev. Shaw Moore – Dennis Quaid
• Vi Moore – Andie MacDowell
• Willard – Miles Teller
• Wes Warnicker - Ray McKinnon
• Lulu – Kim Dickens
• Chuck Cranston – Patrick John Flueger
• Rusty – Ziah Colon

Story:This is an homage to the classic 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow, and Dianne Weist. The story hasn't changed. A tragic accident takes the lives of five teenagers coming home from a senior dance, one of them the minister's son. The small southern Presbyterian town is so shocked and appalled it outlaws dancing and other types of parties, and places curfews in effect in an effort to protect the teens from themselves. Three years later, Ren MacCormick moves to the town after losing his mother to leukemia, and quickly learns about the restrictions. His Uncle Wes is owns a used car lot in the town, and realizes his nephew will need an advocate in order to get along with the local sheriff and minister. Ren makes friends quickly, but he soon learns the minister's daughter is heading down a dangerous path with an older race car driver, Chuck Cranston. Ren works to pass a petition around town to withdraw the ordinance banning dancing, and while he does not succeed, he manages to get permission to hold a senior dance in a local cotton mill adjacent to the town.

Review: Footloose is about more than dancing, although Kenny Wormwald certainly can do that. Footloose is a classic tale of tragedy and redemption, about the differences between teens and adults, about the way we see ourselves and others. Craig Brewer has managed to update this classic film without losing one iota of the feel of the original. Kenny Wormwald is excellent as Ren, the out of town boy thrust into the small country town environment. Julianne Hough plays the minister's daughter with a flair that shows some insight into the dynamics of a family dealing with the loss of a child. Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell were perfect choices for the minister and his wife, and Quaid adds a different perspective to the role than Lithgow's original portrayal. Ray McKinnon gives us a new look at his ability to adapt his normally more aggressive character acting to a kinder, gentler advocate, and Kim Dickens provides just the right touch as the aunt. Very appealing were the characters of Willard and Rusty, played by newcomers Miles Teller and Ziah Colon. Filmed in the small town of Acworth, Georgia, the photography and cinematography are excellent. Rated PG-13 for language, sexual content, and some violence and drug use, this is a film, with correct parental supervision, should be viewable by the entire family.