Writer/Director Craig Brewer’s rehash of the 1984 original has Rem MacCormack (Wormald), big city kid from Boston, transplanted to small Southern hick town of Bomont. Given that said big city kid is basically a James Dean Lite Yankee with an attitude problem, a not-so-kickass car, and a love for dance in a small town that has passed legislation against it, and what you get is the lovechild of Rebel Without A Cause and Step Up: Version Redneck. Surprisingly, this actually proves to be pretty entertaining.
While Ren and Ariel (Hough) make a sweet couple, their chemistry can be somewhat cloying at times, particularly for those of us who like some uncomplicated hedonism mixed in with our phat beats. Thankfully, the pair make up for the PG-rated script with their sheer good looks and genuine chemistry, while Dennis Quaid adds some depth to the proceedings as Ariel’s conservative preacher dad Shaw Moore. The convincing interactions, coupled with some genuinely heartwarming scenes (most memorable of which would be four pubescent girls teaching a dorky white boy how to dance) makes for a film that almost allows you to forget its rather silly premise.
The dance sequences, which are the whole point of the movie, are well choreographed and work pretty well, even the cheesiest one…which we’re not going to spoil for you, but we swear we cringed in anticipation as the film built up to it. Also, hats off to the choreographers for making line-dancing seem remotely fun/sexy/hip, rather than an activity participated in by an age group with gimps in that last factor.
Footloose is an almost classically old-fashioned crowd, light-hearted number that will probably prove too wholesome to resonate with this current generation of disaffected, web-surfing adolescents. It’s more High School Musical than Black Snake Moan, but makes up for its lack of edginess with its good-natured exuberance.
Just don’t expect a whole lot of dancing y’all.
SUMMARY: Step Up in the suburbs, with a Southern drawl. Yee-haw.
RATING: 3 out of 5 stars
Raphael Lim