The scene: Footloose
Whitney Siders
As a fan of the 1984 classic “Footloose,” I could not resist the temptation to watch the remake. Perhaps it was my fondness of the original version and thus an obligation to assess the competition, or it may have simply been a curiosity as to how it would even be possible to make a reproduction at all. The feeling of watching this movie was similar to the sensation of watching a film version after reading the book. In this position it is impossible not to be critical because we are typically most fond of the form that we first encounter. Admittedly, I walked into the theatre certain that this remake would undoubtedly pale in comparison to the original, but, to my surprise, this was not exactly the case.
In fact, at times the similarities between the two versions were almost eerie. Many trademark scenes can be appreciated, such as Ren teaching Willard to dance, Ren blasting loud music in his VW beetle and being stopped by the police, and of course Ren’s solo dance in the abandoned warehouse to blow off steam.
Other scenes, such as the first day of school for Kenny Wormald’s Ren play out identically to that of Kevin Bacon’s character. When I first saw Miles Teller as Willard, Ren’s friend, I almost had to do a double take. Granted, it is impossible for Christopher Penn, who played Willard in 1984, to still be playing the role of a high school student, but the resemblance between the two was remarkable.
Many of the characters are comparable based on physical appearance. I was surprised by Kenny Wormald’s resemblance to Kevin Bacon, but the portrayal of Ren’s character is very different than that of Kevin Bacon. He still has the persona of a city boy who is thrown into the small town life of Bomont, but just because he is labeled as an “outsider,” he does not fulfill the role of a rebel as Bacon did in the 1984 classic. Instead, Ren has moved from Boston alone after losing his mother to cancer. This undoubtedly contributes to Ren’s more conservative character.
Reverend Moore, played by Dennis Quaid, is also a much more likable character than that of John Lithgow from the 1984 film. While Lithgow is the exact embodiment of a fire and brimstone southern baptist preacher, Quaid provides more of a “good guy” character.
The relationship between Ariel and Ren is also very similar to the original, but it simply is not possible for Julianne Hough to match the bold personality of Lori Singer. However, the dancing experience of Hough and Wormald offers a whole new level of talent to the entertainment value of the movie.
The remake definitely puts an emphasis on the attitude of a small town, as if that is supposed to make the plot of the movie make sense even though it is taking place in a more contemporary society. Being from a small town with a similar size to Bomont, even I find the plot to be somewhat farfetched. It seems rather bizarre that there would ever be a law against dancing, especially when considering this idea through the view of a modern timeframe. However, once I was able to overcome the generation gap, I appreciated the effort to stay as true as possible to the original film. Overall, the juxtaposition of maintaining an almost ridiculous amount of similarity while also implementing rather significant changes makes the new version of “Footloose” worth watching.