Tags
Remake, Dance, Footloose, Craig Brewer, Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Andie Macdowell, Ray McKinnon, Miles Teller, Kevin Bacon, 1984, Revival
Update: While the majority of the reviews for the new Footloose have been very positive, there have been a handful of lazy ones, from fairly prominent critics, who clearly choose to misunderstand the premise of this new film. They keep stating that the town has banned music and dancing and that this idea is clearly ridiculous. However, if you actually watch the movie, what is smart about the updated premise is that they did not just ban dancing and music. They simply tried to protect their children by controlling when and where they did these things. They specify that a dance has to happen under controlled supervision by the town elders, and that it must happen before the enforced curfew. The idea of controlling that which cannot be controlled has been a staple of musicals for all time, from “Sound of Music” to “Seven Brides” to “West Side Story”, and this film does a good job of straddling reality and movie musical fantasy. It is a musical. And within the world of the musical, of course everyone is a fantastic dancer (the other flip criticism they toss around), and that was never called into question in those aforementioned classics. These critics really need to carefully pay attention (sarcasm) to the film that is presented to them, not to the one they’re already looking forward to criticizing in their cynical minds.
Original review:
There have been an exorbitant number of remakes in the last few years. Way more than can be justified, and most of them are purely crass, commercial laziness. In looking at this new version of ‘Footloose’, I think there needs to be a new way of thinking about remakes, and possibly ditching the remake name altogether. The term ‘remake’ is such a loaded term now, when you think about it a ‘revival’ might be a more accurate label. This film is the equivalent of a new stage version of a popular theatrical show. The story beats are the same, but the interpretation, the details, the character relationships are all new.
This movie is dripping with attitude, almost literally. The director, Craig Brewer, is a unique talent you loves the south, the good and the bad. He knows the landscape, the nuance, and the physicality of it, inside and out. There are many ways that this version is superior to the original, but the most important is in the realization of a multicultural community. The 1984 original was pretty much an entirely white community, at least as far as the film’s scope was concerned. That was also as far as the pop cultural impact as well, the songs and the style of that film were primarily directed at a white audience. This version doesn’t force the multiculturalism to the fore, it simply is, and the music reflects that now as well. And it isn’t divisive, as it sometimes is in society. What I love so much about this film is that every music type, and every character type, is open to the next. This movie is truly colour blind in all respects, it never even enters the conversation, and that was refreshing. The attitude of the film and the dancing gets amped up even further because of this, the irresistible draw of raw inspiration and energy, from all pulses of life.
Look, the original version of ‘Footloose’ was just that. It was original. There’s nothing that can touch originality, and as much as I’d love to give this version four stars, for pure entertainment and absorption, knowing the story beats as I do diffuses the momentum just enough to allow that half star difference, but don’t let that deter you. This is a masterful entertainment, with big laughs (particularly from Miles Teller as Willard) and exceptional casting all around.
For his ‘revival’, Brewer has upped the emotional draw of the film by changing two key story points. The first is that the character of Ren is now on alone. His mother has recently succumbed to leukemia, himself having to wait it through with her. In the original version Ren moved down south with his mother, starting over again as single mothers often did in 80s films (see Karate Kid). This change takes the safety net out from under Ren. He can relate to the community more than they think, and he’s also more mature in many respects than some of the adults. There’s a crucial scene where Ren’s uncle Wes, beautifully played by familiar character actor Ray McKinnon, defends him in conversation with the Reverend Moore, quietly played by Dennis Quaid. This scene was never a part of the original film, but this addition to Ren’s back story adds much needed weight to the characters and relationships, and it reverberates from there.
Far more important though is with the initial tragedy of the students killed in a car accident, by making the driver of that vehicle now be the Reverend’s son. In the original version the accident had no relation to the Reverend or any other character. It was just this anonymous event that happened, which changed everyone’s lives and they couldn’t understand why it ever existed. This change validates every action and reaction of Reverend Moore, but more importantly it turns the female lead of Ariel into a fully realized, three-dimensional character, something that she never was in the original. It was always difficult to understand why Ariel was over reacting as she did in the 1984 version. She was a distancing character, abrasive and hard to relate to. This time around though she’s alone, much like Ren. She can’t reach her parents, she’s overshadowed by the death of her brother in every aspect of life, and so she reacts as she does, latching on to the wrong boyfriend, and breaking rules wherever she can, so she can feel something, and hopefully get her father’s attention. This simple change now affects every scene that is carted over from the original, but more importantly it makes her relationship with Ren make emotional sense. The draw between them now is undeniable, sweet, young, and necessary.
It’s fascinating what Brewer does here with these changes. If you think about it, he takes a good script and then proceeds with a series of ‘what ifs’ in reinventing it. ”What if this relationship had been made more clear by doing this?” ”What if we added this element?” ”What if we moved these scenes around, how would that affect the overall emotion?” Each one of his ‘what ifs’ add something to the film, but he still respects the original material. You can sense the reverence all around for the original story. If it worked before, it stays as it did. It’s like an amorous riff on a beloved musical, there isn’t a hint of anything short of love and respect.
I was reminded watching this film of an exercise I was involved in recently with a film school. The exercise was for each script to be interpreted by two different directors. The location and dialogue stayed the same, the script had to be respected, but beyond that the director and actors could interpret the rest any way they wished. This may sound like it would amount to subtle differences, but in reality the interpretation is everything. Craig Brewer immerses us in the community and the landscape so fully that we can practically taste it. There’s a nice addition of a quieter, more southern and country aspect to the soundtrack which helps in this immersion. The casting and the subtlety of performance that he elicits from all his performers is what makes this film such a success. I don’t know if Brewer is able to bring this fierce attention to other locales, but as long as he’s working in the south, he’s one of the masters.
One key difference in his interpretation can be seen in the iconic moment where Ren pulls into a warehouse to let off steam by dancing. In the original it was an invitation for a music video, as it was in the 80s. Don’t get me wrong, I love that style, I grew up with that style. It means something to me, it’s not just empty flash. I think, back then, that was the proper way to interpret those emotions. It just felt right, and it was fresh. In this version though, Brewer introduces very subtle, smart flesh-outs, like leaving in the sound of Ren’s breathing as he moves. He doesn’t let the music overtake the reality of the scene, and this allows the scene to feel organic and, more importantly, that it’s all about what it means to Ren, not us. Brewer is also ace at staging these dance scenes. The editing is modern, to be sure, but compared to the vast sea of pre-packaged, cardboard, dance films we have nowadays, the choreography, the dancing, and the camerawork are electric. The highest compliment I can pay is to say that I never felt that it was choreographed. It felt real and organic, and above all infectiously fun.
Kenny Wormald, as Ren, has a clean cut, Disney appearance, at odds with how Kevin Bacon’s looks stood out in the original. When Bacon arrived at school, his attitude and his looks were an affront. Here though it’s what Ren represents that’s an affront, and his looks just fade in. So Wormald’s appearance may take away some of those initial jitters of the new kid first day at the new school, but he’s a legitimate, charismatic performer who’s very comfortable in front of the camera. It’s a pleasure to watch both him and Julianne Hough, as Ariel, because they seem so absorbed with each other, they don’t play to the camera or the audience. Hough, a lot of the time, has the more difficult role. She’s not free to put her character front and centre, she hides it behind layers of protection and, yes, attitude. Hough is an incredibly sexy performer and dancer, and that confidence works its way, believably, under Ren’s skin. It’s just pure chemistry, through and through.
Look, I don’t want Hollywood to make a habit of this. The majority of remakes are just that, they’re remakes, thoughtless, corporate, and frankly cruel to the audience that grew up with and loves the originals. How a film exists, becomes a part of or shapes society, shouldn’t be just tossed around haphazardly for the sake of easy money. Some things are too affecting to be thrown away like that. But when a director can take a good story, and assemble a thoughtful, talented, fresh cast, and offer new interpretations, and new thoughts and fresh emotional stakes, then it’s always a story worth telling.
‘Footloose’ has the familiar beats, but it’s all heart … and attitude.
