Footloose (1984)

Written by CinemaSerf on April 11, 2024

"Ren" (Kevin Bacon) moves from the big city to a small town run by the rather puritanical preacher "Moore" (John Lithgow) only to find that dancing, singing - indeed just about every form of entertainment has been banished. He claims that is to protect them and their children from ungodly corrupting influences. The new boy is treated with enough circumspection before "Ariel" (Lori Singer) takes a shine to him, but once it's known that the daughter of the town bible-basher is having a romance with the disruptive influence, then battle lines are drawn. It's fair too say that "Ren" hasn't his problems to seek finding and keeping work and with the local lads who resent his cool, James Dean, style attitude. Things come to an head when he proposes at a town council meeting that the ban be lifted so that they can get a bit "Footloose". The drama here is as good as it's contemporaries like "Flashdance" (1983) and enjoyably builds on the craze that was probably started with and perpetuated by "Fame" (and it's "Kids") but the acting is all pretty mediocre, as the dialogue. It's essentially a film about a soundtrack - and there are plenty of songs here beginning with the title song then "Let's Hear it for the Boy" and Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero" amongst those complementing an underscore of AOR and some energetic dance moves from both Bacon and Singer. It was an huge film at the time and made many a reputation, but time has rather neutered that novelty and now it's a film I'd rather listen to than watch.