FILM: Footloose

I'm going to be honest: I did NOT like this movie.

I tried so hard to keep an open mind about this movie. I actually was looking forward to seeing it, but I had my doubts as well. I mean, there was a lot of hype that came with this re-make, from rumours of who was going to play who and how to make it relevant to audiences of the 21st century and whatever else...but it was honestly like sitting in front of any other dance film. I walked out of the cinema and thought, I can't even write anything that would spur someone to go to a movie that I'm not hyped up about.

But I'll try...

The Story

I literally have no words, but I think Nat pretty much sums it all up (pre-warning she does swear in this video feel free to press stop when her trailer finishes):

So the storyline pretty much went a little like what Nat said. There was no real story except a small town who experienced a tragedy so a bunch of laws decided came in to protect the teens. Instead we got a whole crew of rebel children who are doing whatever behind their parents back to gain a sense of what was before the laws came in. Then you have the typical hero who is orphaned and saves the day with awesome dance moves and a revolt on how kids are meant to make mistakes and have fun before life gets boring.

No joke, I pretty much told you guys the entire dialogue in this film in a nutshell. The entire movie was just an excuse to have some kick-ass dance moves and filter in popular music for the sake of 'newness' and 'cultural relevance'. There was nothing 'new' about the storyline the characters or even the dancing. They're moves we've seen before and they're stories we've heard and they're people we recognise.

The Cast

I'm just going to focus on the two main characters because frankly they're the ones you see the most and have to grow to love or hate to make a film. The other reason I'm focusing on these two actors is because they're not very well known. But...I do have to say KUDOS to: Dennis Quaid, Ray McKinnon and Milles Teller who made this movie bearable.

Kenny Wormald - Sure this guy can dance and his acting was not too bad. The only thing that bothered me was there was nothing too "Wow!" about him. He could have easily blended into that town rather than stood apart like his character was supposed to. I think there wasn't enough dialogue for Wormald to really build his character from the ground up. Stepping back, I don't remember is heroic speech (which is probably because he misquoted my favourite book in the world to make his point) I remembered his awesome dance moves. That's sad isn't it? But I commend him - I just felt in order to be the lead you need something that will catapult you to the position. No doubt his dancing was a spring board, but the dialogue was not springy enough to push his talents to the top.

Julianne Hough - There is no doubt that she can move and she communicates her attitude well, but I just think her character spent too much time looking pretty rather than actually being a rebel child. She was literally modelling rather than acting. Again I have to say it's the lack of dialogue in this film that caused this. I'm all for body language when it comes to dance films, but there was nothing in the dancing that propelled me to think, "Oh, well that says a lot!" It was all very linear - you could pin point at which parts Ren and Ariel were going to like each other and when they hated each other. No real surprise.

The Dancing

Top notch, but nothing new. The only thing I really liked was when Willard (Teller) finally learned to dance and he busts out on the dance floor at the end. His journey was the best :P

Overall

Look, if you're looking for a good movie that involves not thinking, this is it. The biblical references are twisted to suit the movie and are inaccurate, so it's not preaching to you - you'd probably have more fun reading the context of the verses quoted rather than sitting through this film to have a good time. If you like dance films purely for the dancing than go see it, otherwise, I would recommend seeing another film.

sL Star Rating: 1 Star

Next on sL: I introduce you to The Nth Degree :D