Footloose

Footloose 1984

• Director: Herbert Ross
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow, Diane Wiest, Chris Penn, Sarah Jessica Parker
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Kevin Bacon – X Men First Class, Frost/Nixon, Mystic River, JFK, Tremors,
• John Lithgow – Interstellar, Dreamgirls, Twelfth Night, Third Rock from the Sun, The Pelican File, Terms of Endearment, The World According to Garp,
• Diane Wiest – Rabbit Hole, Dan in Real Life, I Am Sam, Practical Magic, The Bird Cage, Little Man Tate, Edward Scissorhands
• Chris Penn – The Darwin Awards, True Romance, Reservoir Dogs, Rumble Fish
• Sarah Jessica Parker – Smart People, Mars Attacks!, The First Wives Club, Ed Wood
• Why? Music and dance
• Seen: Once before. Now 30 November 2019

             Fanatic Christian preacher Shaw (Lithgow) hates rock and roll music. The adults of the small town agree with him. New student Ren (Bacon) and Shaw’s daughter Ariel (Singer) have other ideas. In this town dancing is illegal. Cassette tapes are confiscated by the police (not the Police).

       I am seriously allergic to small towns, American high school films, religious fanatics (well, religion generally), and clichéd troubled teens. The whole film is one big cliché filled with tough guy/frilly flirty girl stereotypes.

       But young Bacon is a very good dancer, young Lithgow is a suitably zealous preacher (though he was much better as the nerdy alien in Third Rock from the Sun and pompously pathetic Malvolio in Twelfth Night) and it’s enjoyable at times. It’s hard to believe that dance-deprived kids can suddenly dance like MTV pros but it’s always fun to watch dancing and the shoes were cool.

      

2 * of 5