Genre Grandeur – Footloose (1984) – Encore Review – MovieRob

For this month’s next review for Genre Grandeur – 80’s Teen Movies here’s a review of Footloose (1984) by me.

Thanks again to Todd of The Forgotten Filmz Podcast for choosing this month’s genre.

Next month’s genre has been chosen by Keith of Keith & the Movies and we will be reviewing our favorite French New Wave Films

Please get me your submissions by the 25th of Oct by sending them to newwavekeith@movierob.net

Try to think out of the box! Great choice Keith!

Let’s see what I thought of this movie:

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“I’m standing up here before you today… with a very troubled heart. You see, my friends… I’ve always insisted on… taking responsibility for your lives. But, I’m really… like a first-time parent… who makes mistakes… and tries to learn from them. And like that parent… I find myself at that moment when I have to decide. Do I hold on… or do I trust you to yourselves? Let go and hope that you’ve understood… at least some of my lessons. If we don’t start trusting our children… how will they ever become trustworthy? I’m told that the senior class at the high school… has gotten use of the warehouse in Bayson… for the purpose of putting on a senior dance. Please… join me to pray to the Lord to guide them in their endeavors.” – Reverend Shaw Moore

Number of Times Seen – No clue (Theater in 1984, cable, video , DVD, 17 Feb 2002, 16 Feb 2015 and 29 Sep 2020)

Link to original review – Here

Brief Synopsis – A teenager and his mother move to a small town which has a ban on dancing and rock and roll music.

My Take on it – This is a film that I knew that I would choose tow atch for this month’s genre as soon as Todd made his choice.

I have loved this film, its story and its message ever since I first saw it in the theater when I was 10.

The story works really well and even after 35 years it still is relevant.

The story is multilayered and gives us so much to absorb throughout as we get to see both sides of this argument.

The characters are developed quite well and that helps make us get a better understanding of the issue being debated here.

The cats is superb and both Kevin Bacon and John Lithgow are perfect cast in their respective roles.

This film made Bacon a star largely due to the way that he acts here.

Lithgow allows us to see the side of a parent and a religious figure who has conflicting thoughts due to those two roles.

On the one hand hand, he wants to try and keep the teens of the town safe from corruption yet also wants to see his daughter learn how to make her own decisions in life.

The film’s soundtrack is spectacular and there are so many really fun and powerful songs here.

The music adds so much to this story and at the same time helps keep things moving along at a great pace.

Check out some of the songs here:

Footloose

Let’s Hear it for the Boy

Almost Paradise

I’m Free

Holding out for a Hero.

Things unfold in a great way that helps make things quite believable especially given the fact that we get to see how a parental-child relationship can sometimes lead one to have blinders and eventually find a way to see the light and possible errors in their way.

Bottom Line – Really intriguing film that still works so well even after 3 and half decades. The characters are developed really well and allow us to try and see both sides of this argument. The cast is superb and this is a film that made Bacon a household name because of the way his character acts. The soundtrack is spectacular and really adds so much to the story while allowing things to move along at a great pace. Lithgow is also great as the town preacher against the idea of music and dancing because of his fears that it will corrupt the youth. The story unfolds really well and lets us see a believable path for this story because it shows us how a parental-child relationship can lead one to sometime put on blinders but also eventually see the light. Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Kevin Bacon was offered the leading role for the Stephen King movie Christine (1983), at the same time that he was asked to do a screentest for Footloose (1984). The producers had to convince Bacon that turning down a sure role in “Christine” for a part he might not even get in “Footloose” was the wiser choice. The producers told him that if he got the part for “Footloose”, the role would make him a star. Thirty seconds into the screentest, Bacon was offered the part. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (9/10) (no change from original review)