I got a chance to attend an advanced screening of Footloose, the remake of the 1984 original film.
Boston born teenager, Ren McCormack (Kenny Wormald), leaves behind a troubled past in his old town, moving to Bomont, Tennessee, where dancing was outlawed through a notion by the local Reverend (Dennis Quaid) after a tragic car crash three years earlier. Ren decides to challenge the ban on dancing, and falls for the Reverend's daughter (Julianne Hough).
Footloose is not that special of a story. Character arcs are formulaic, several actions in the film are reckless, but at least they have a decent cast to lift them above that. Dennis Quaid is great, Kenny Wormald is decent enough, and Miles Teller is a riot of hilarity as Willard (Ren's clueless friend). I also really enjoyed the dance sequences, which featured some really slick choreography.
But not everything in the film works, including Julianne Hough. Her acting never really impressed me, she seems a bit too old for the role, and her character is under written.
All in all, Footloose is just fine for some light entertainment.
**1/2 out of ****
Boston born teenager, Ren McCormack (Kenny Wormald), leaves behind a troubled past in his old town, moving to Bomont, Tennessee, where dancing was outlawed through a notion by the local Reverend (Dennis Quaid) after a tragic car crash three years earlier. Ren decides to challenge the ban on dancing, and falls for the Reverend's daughter (Julianne Hough).
Footloose is not that special of a story. Character arcs are formulaic, several actions in the film are reckless, but at least they have a decent cast to lift them above that. Dennis Quaid is great, Kenny Wormald is decent enough, and Miles Teller is a riot of hilarity as Willard (Ren's clueless friend). I also really enjoyed the dance sequences, which featured some really slick choreography.
But not everything in the film works, including Julianne Hough. Her acting never really impressed me, she seems a bit too old for the role, and her character is under written.
All in all, Footloose is just fine for some light entertainment.
**1/2 out of ****