Monday, October 24, 2011

"This country was built on bandanas!"

None of the new movies out this weekend was particularly appealing to me. I think I will eventually see The Mighty Macs, but it is not on the top of my list. There are few other movies that have been out for a while that I would like to see first. One of those movies was the Footloose remake, which I saw yesterday.

For those of you born after the 80's or for some unknown reason have never seen the original, this movie is about Ren McCormick, who moves from Boston, Massachusetts to Bomont, Georgia to live with his aunt and uncle after his mother dies. When he gets to Bomont he learns that dancing in public and playing loud music are illegal. Ren challenges the law and in-turn makes an enemy of the local pastor, Reverend Shaw Moore, while simultaneously falling for the pastor's daughter, Ariel.

It has been a while since I have seen the original starring Kevin Bacon, but I really enjoyed the new version. It was a lot of fun. They really tried to reinvent the moments you love from the first movie without trying too hard to copy them exactly. While the dialogue was a little corny at times, I think they really captured the spirit of the original movie.

I was pleasantly surprised by the acting ability of Julianne Hough and really enjoyed newcomer Kenny Wormald. Miles Teller as Willard, Ren's best friend, was hilarious and super adorable. Ray McKinnon and Kim Dickens played Ren's aunt and uncle and were both on Deadwood. Dickens was also on Friday Night Lights and McKinnon is currently on Sons of Anarchy. I enjoy them a lot as actors and they were great in this movie as well. (If only Linc Potter was as amicable as Wes Warnicker.) Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell, on the other hand, often get on my nerves. They are not bad actors, just a little over-rated, in my opinion.

Random side note: as a Presbyterian, I found it particularly interesting that Reverend Moore was a Presbyterian minister. I do not remember if he was in the original movie. I will have to look into that.

I am a sucker for dance movies, regardless of how cheesy the storyline is. Dancing was always one of those things that I was just never really good at. I have a sense of rhythm, but no coordination, so I am envious of people who can dance really well and pick up steps easily. It is one of my goals in life to learn how to country line dance, which is why I particularly loved this scene:



If you go into the movie thinking that it can never compare to the original, then it probably never will and you should just skip it. But if you go into it with an open mind and a desire to be entertained, then it will do just that, entertain you.

What more can I say? I really enjoyed it. It made me want to get up out of my seat and dance :o)

xoxo
c
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