Footloose: Not Great, but it is Iconic

 


I'll go ahead and tell you how I rate this film by saying it gets 2.5 out of 4 stars. Before Guardians of the Galaxy's Star-Lord/Peter Quill comes at me (the character is quite possibly the biggest fan of Footloose) let me say that Footloose is a really good 2.5-star movie. The 2.5 rating can mean different things. There's a spectrum of films that fall under this rating in my opinion. But enough about the rating system, I'll cut loose and talk about the movie!

I have to start the soundtrack because it'd be a crime not to. Even if you're not familiar with the film, you know the songs "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins and "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler. You even get songs from John Mellencamp and Foreigner in the movie ("I'm Free" by Kenny Loggins is an underrated part of the soundtrack). With music comes you guessed it, dancing. The dancing in Footloose is as great as it should be. Ren (Kevin Bacon) dancing in the warehouse and Ren teaching Willard (Chris Penn) how to dance are standout scenes in the film. Speaking of Ren, he's a protagonist that you empathize with and want to see succeed. The supporting characters fill in specific archetypes but work well across the board (with one exception that I'll get to later). I clearly have good things to say about Footloose, but let's get into the movie's issues.

Remember the character I said doesn't work well? It's Vi Moore (Dianne Wiest) who is Rev. Shaw Moore's (John Lithgow) wife. Dianne Wiest is a great actress who is criminally underutilized in Footloose. She is absent from most of the film and only shows up to help Rev. Moore with a change of heart. Footloose struggles with its identity too. Is this film primarily a music video? Is it a coming-of-age/high school story? Is it an examination of religion in a small town? There are a lot of things Footloose tries to juggle.

All in all, Footloose is an enjoyable film. You tap your foot throughout and want to get up and dance during certain parts (I contained myself, but more power to you if you actually dance during it). I think the iconic elements of the movie overshadow storytelling flaws. There could be a nostalgia factor for certain viewers too. But don't worry Star-Lord, I still think everybody should cut footloose!


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