Review by Martin Dunne
Stars Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell, Miles Teller,
Ray McKinnon, Patrick John Flueger, Kim Dickens | Written by Dean Pitchford & Craig Brewer
UK certification 12 | UK RRP £19.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 108 minutes | Directed by Craig Brewer
When a remake of 1984 dance flick Footloose was announced, it was initially planned to be a Zac Efron vehicle, directed by none other than High School Musical maestro, Kenny Ortega. Both soon left the project, and the film is all the better for it.
The original Footloose was an average teen flick, which was later adapted into an average Broadway musical. Director Brewer – whose previous work includes urban hit Hustle & Flow and the criminally underrated Black Snake Moan – has lifted elements of both, injected a strong dose of his own personal street cred and created something altogether more entertaining and fulfilling than either of the previous incarnations.
In this version, Ren McCormack (Wormald) is a talented young dancer/gymnast from the big city of Boston. Following the death of his mother from leukaemia, he is forced to live with his uncle's family in the rural town of Bomont, where he is shocked to find that the God-fearing town has implemented bans on public displays of dancing and prohibited the playing of loud rock and rap music. In between falling in love with preacher's daughter Ariel (Hough) and teaching redneck buddy Willard (a perfectly cast Teller) to dance, Ren finds himself embroiled in a battle with Bomont town council, led by the formidable Reverend Moore (Quaid).
Having also written the script, Brewer has managed to transplant a story akin to an era of dance films such as Dirty Dancing and Flashdance firmly into body-popping Step Up territory. Don't let that put you off though; although it sits alongside the likes of Honey and Stomp the Yard, it's easily among the best of its breed. Admittedly, some of its tricks are cheap (a new smooth-talking African American friend and hip-hopped version of the title track spring to mind) but the transition is ultimately pretty successful.
The soundtrack is impressive, staying true to the spirit of the original flick but updating where necessary. Ella Mae Bowen's acoustic cover of Holding Out For a Hero is so strikingly beautiful, you don't even realise that you're listening to a Bonnie Tyler cover until the chorus kicks in. Vinyl records are replaced with iPods and the kids respect songs like Let's Hear It For the Boy as vintage pop tunes.
Every actor is, of course, sickeningly beautiful and never seen with a hair out of place. But Footloose makes up for this where films like High School Musical and Camp Rock fail – all players involved can really act. Leading man Wormald is a delightful surprise, presenting ability and occasional intensity reminiscent of adolescent Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio. Wormald is known more for his dancing credentials than acting, and it'd be a genuine shame if he ended up getting typecast, but hey – if Channing Tatum can break type, it should be as easy as jazz squares for Wormald.
Overall this movie's a toe-tapping, out and out cheese-fest with a touch of grit, that's sweeter than a caramelised sugar puff. And I loved it.
EXTRAS ★★ Not a lot to get excited about, really: an audio commentary with director Brewer; three deleted scenes, with optional commentary from Brewer; a music video for the song Fake ID. The DVD version is, for some reason, FIVE minutes shorter than the Blu-ray. Go figure.