Footloose

[nelsonmuntz]

Was going to put this in the Recently Watched Movies thread, but it deserves its own thread. This movie is a lot stranger then I remember. There is a solid preacher vs. rebellious daughter story wrapped in in a city boy in the country trope. This would be a fairly forgettable by-the-numbers nothing movie except for:

1) A slow motion game of tractor chicken.
2) Several instances of violence against women.
3) There are several dance numbers to music that isn't really dance music.
4) There is a completely unnecessary fight at the final dance.
5) An absolute bat-spit crazy scene where the preacher's daughter straddles two cars that appear to be going about 50 MPH as they head towards a semi. This scene almost results in multiple character deaths, but is never spoken of again.

Lori Singer is scorching hot, but her character is such a full blown C U Next Tuesday that I think the happiest outcome for both dad and Ren would have been for her to leave them both and never return.

Kevin Bacon doesn't do much acting at all beyond his dance numbers. You could actually make a case that Bacon is actually the supporting actor in this movie, and Lithgow and Singer are the leads.

Despite these issues, the movie is actually pretty good. I wonder if the producers were as shocked by the success of this movie as I am.

 

[nwhoopfan]

No mention of how awesome everybody is at dancing at the prom, in this small rural community? I think there's a line in the spoof "Not Another Teen Movie" along the lines of "who knew everybody at this school are professional dancers?" Definitely applies here as well.

Also the soundtrack was considered to be excellent at the time. Some of the songs are fairly dated now but the Kenny Loggins' theme song still rocks (as all Kenny Loggins movie theme songs do).

For some real kicks and giggles you could watch the recent remake for compare and contrast. The tractor chicken is replaced w/ a race/crash derby w/ school buses. I think the car straddling while waiting for the rapidly oncoming semi is replaced by standing on train tracks while a train is rapidly approaching.

Or you could do a score card for the cast of the original vs. the remake. I would guess the original wins in most cases, but I'll take Juliana Hough all day any day over Lori Singer. Probably gotta give Miles Teller the nod over Chris Penn as well.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The dancing at the prom is especially impressive considering dancing is outlawed in that town so it isn't like anyone could have even practiced before that prom.

The soundtrack outside of Loggins' theme song and 1 or 2 others does not age well at all.

Lori Singer's Arial also stands in front of a train at one point. They could have easily added a plotline in the movie about how Arial has undiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder and it would seem completely reasonable.

Lori Singer is pretty good as the batspit crazy hot girl that everyone tolerates because she is hot, although I am not sure that is what the movie was going for. You could have changed about 5 lines of dialogue in this movie, and it would have been about two very nice if overly protective and conservative parents trying to deal with their severely mentally ill daughter.

 

[superjohn]

No mention of how awesome everybody is at dancing at the prom, in this small rural community? I think there's a line in the spoof "Not Another Teen Movie" along the lines of "who knew everybody at this school are professional dancers?" Definitely applies here as well.

Also the soundtrack was considered to be excellent at the time. Some of the songs are fairly dated now but the Kenny Loggins' theme song still rocks (as all Kenny Loggins movie theme songs do).

For some real kicks and giggles you could watch the recent remake for compare and contrast. The tractor chicken is replaced w/ a race/crash derby w/ school buses. I think the car straddling while waiting for the rapidly oncoming semi is replaced by standing on train tracks while a train is rapidly approaching.

Or you could do a score card for the cast of the original vs. the remake. I would guess the original wins in most cases, but I'll take Juliana Hough all day any day over Lori Singer. Probably gotta give Miles Teller the nod over Chris Penn as well.

Always thought this Loggins Footloose song is way better than the title track.

Watch "Kenny Loggins-I'm Free (Heaven Helps The Man) (Footloose Soundtrack)" on YouTube

 

[meyers7]

Or you could do a score card for the cast of the original vs. the remake. I would guess the original wins in most cases, but I'll take Juliana Hough all day any day over Lori Singer. Probably gotta give Miles Teller the nod over Chris Penn as well.

Yea, Hough over the skinny (too) Singer any day. And of course she can dance. However, although I think Teller can act circles around Penn, Chris Penn was Willard.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Yea, Hough over the skinny (too) Singer any day. And of course she can dance. However, although I think Teller can act circles around Penn, Chris Penn was Willard.

Okay, you've got a good point. I honestly can't think of anything else Penn did in his career. (jeez, looked him up, he's been in a ton of movies, including some very high profile flicks, but he isn't the guy you think of when you think of any of those films)