Craig Brewer is testing us.
I went into Footloose skeptical. A remake. A dance movie. Not the best descriptions to go in with. But as a big fan of the Craig Brewer directed Hustle and Flow and Black Snake Moan, I had to see what it was that drew him into this world.
The trailer for the movie is fairly simple; a terrible accident takes the lives of five seniors and thus leads to the banning of public dancing in the town of Bomont, Georgia. Three years later Ren MacCormick comes to town and shakes thing sup a bit.
Dancing is a very famous part of the history of this movie, however it does not hijack it. So many movies that incorporate dancing into their narrative tend to let the dancing take over; leaving characters and story lines in the dust. Although the trailers will primarily advertise this as a hollow dance movie, I assure you there is a heart and respect that jumps out at you from the screen like those shitty 3D movies. The way the opening credits are set up and how the court decides to ban public dancing made me see every dance sequence as an expression of each character and how they are being tied down by the ban. Rather than a cheap excuse to see girls shake their hips and have some new song by Lady GAGA or Rhianna in there or something. Every sequence really did have a purpose and that feeling hasn't happened in a long time for me.
Ren MacCormick is played by actor Kenny Wormald, who subtlety reminds us of Kevin Bacon, but with his signature Boston accent, adds a swagger to the role that makes the character his own. Ren is not just a handsome guy with some moves, he's got something to say and he's got morals. Those features are prominent in interactions he has with Ariel Moore, played by Julianna Hough.
As the preachers daughter Ariel has an identity problem. The constant going back and forth of who she wants to be and who people see her as was a little difficult to handle sometimes cause it made her seem like that cliche character. And maybe that was the point, because an emotional argument between Ariel and her father, Dennis Quaid, really made her character worth being in the movie for me. The scene was well acted and over the top in all the right ways. On a sidetone I saw some interesting similarities in Ariel's character with Christina Ricci's role in Black Snake Moan, its crazy obvious!
In addition to the main characters, its in the supporting cast and their dialogue that I really saw Brewers style shine. A sequence at a drive in parking lot where an elderly black man who owns the drive-in, allows the kids to dance, reminded me of Issac Hayes character in Hustle and Flow, even down to the old school radio/receiver that he flips on for the music to be heard through the sound system. You can tell that Brewer spent the same amount of time developing his main cast as well as his supporting. In addition to successfully giving everyone their moment to shine when it was needed.
Footloose takes place in what I like to call Craig Brewer's South! Brewers films have been primarily shot in and highlight the south. While this version is a bit of a cleaner one, its still HIS SOUTH! Also I was very glad to see the themes of religion, acceptance, and the betterment of an individual or community that have been so universal in his two previous films, come to fruition in Footloose.
When the end credits rolled I was surprised at how much I honestly enjoyed this movie, it was one of the few times where I let myself get taken away and not sit there and nit pick.The addition of the original music solidifies Footloose as not a remake but a re-imagining; A fresh, new, fun, take with the soul of the original.
CutLoose on October 14th, 2011 when Footloose opens in theaters.
Deuces!
StuntmanBob
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