Footloose (Day 4)

OK, first extensive weekend of film watching. Thank God my Steelers have until seven days from now to prepare….and that snow is starting to make mere retrieval of mail an act of practical senselessness. You’ll get icicles on your inner thyroid before you can scrape the frost off your mailbox, and I am only slightly exaggerating. I miss Hawaii, so let’s warm up with a dance film, shall we?

DAY 4: FOOTLOOSE

Oh jeez, snow fell at a rate of 2 inches per hour…good Lord…) Anyway, if you didn’t know any better, you’d say the Western town of Beaumont had a chill in the air, they move around so stiffly. But it is actually a coldness in their hearts that exists…Oh God, this is getting ridiculous…Think of a warm place…warm place…OK, ready now.

Footloose is actually a story I have encountered, in theatres and on video, several times over the past half decade, and it certainly exemplifies the whole outsider-changes-things-for-the better, cementing-role-as-teenage-girl-heartthrob, High-School-Musical-precedent formula we see about five or six times a year advertised in the big Multiplex today. This ancient version of that tale involves a Chicago kid named Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), who is moving with his mother to live with his relatives in Bible Belt Town, USA. I am not exaggerating here, since it is the sort of place where “church probation” is considered a major punishment to fear. And under this system, sparked by a tragic accident and encouraged by tough pastor Reverend Shaw Moore (John Lithgow), a ban on dancing is alive and not-so-well in town. With the encouragement of rhythm-inept best friend Willard (Christopher Penn…yes, Sean’s brother) and always curious about the mixed signals of Rev. Moore’s daughter Ariel (very…erm, distracting Lori Singer), Ren gets over his culture shock and finds himself an ambassador of a movement that can heal more people than he ever thought possible.

(*pulls up another blanket* OK, it is getting colder tonight, I am gonna make this quick.)

This is a weird one for me to review, because I do have a problem with this film – one that has very little to do with the ingredients the film contains. The acting works well enough and presents a gritty enough tone to seem realistic. Kevin Bacon displays enough subtlety, and raw enthusiasm for his cause, that makes his breakout fame following this film’s release well-deserved (even if someone else did do those warehouse dance moves). John Lithgow serves as a great spiritual (and I guess legal, in a theocratic sort of way) foe for Ren, using his full body language to display his full belief in his sermons’ teachings and wavering mannerisms (watch his eyes during some of the quieter scenes) to point out his uneasiness everywhere else. Oh, and Sarah Jessica Parker looks better in this, as Ariel’s friend Rusty, than she ever did as Carrie Bradshaw, I don’t care what anyone else says.

The songs also come across as catchy and effective in their synthesized, ‘80s-retro sort of way, especially tunes like “I’m Free” and the theme song by Kenny Loggins that seals his place in music history – despite him disappearing from the pop scene within a few years (and their playing the song THREE TIMES in the film!). The scenes showcase a great deal of energy, the story takes good turns, we get multiple kinds of villain types in the film…so what’s the problem? The story, simply put, tries to dip into too many areas and feels shallow in all of them. Roger Ebert, in his review (01/01/1984), points to three things that Footloose tries to do (albeit in a harsh manner): present a conflict occurring in town, introduce flashy teenage characters, and sometimes serve as a music video. I don’t have an issue with any of these elements, and sometimes they intersect quite well. But I point to another group of three:

1) Outsider-against-norm: Ren (with help of other flashy teens) attempts to find his place in a new environment, by bringing in something he naturally connects with (namely, dance) for the rest of the town to share.

2) Coping-with-loss: Reverend Moore and family attempt to struggle with a painful past, in order to reconnect with each other in the future.

3) Orwell’s 1984 for Kids: Demonstrate the importance of individualism and anti-censorship, even when such expression is discouraged (and vigilantly enforced) under religious or moral guise.

It is difficult for me to get into this without being spoiler-heavy, although I think many could piece this together by watching the trailer on Youtube. But my big problem is NOT in presenting all these storylines but in the varying emotional tones they each represent. Scenario 1 presents Ren as the underdog and makes the town (and Reverend Moore) seem like a hymn-crooning villain needing defeat…but so much is made of the lewdness and violence exhibited by some of the characters that it almost makes Rev. Moore’s warnings about corruption seem somewhat reasonable. Scenario 2 tries to show how such actions are seeded in pain, not through an innate desire for Main Street tyranny…but even when we find out the Moore family’s connection to the law against dancing, it is not consistently given the dramatic weight needed to make us sympathize with them all (in other words, play “sad and grieving” convincingly, Lori Singer!!!!). And as for the 1984-esque sense of being watched and blocking of censored material…well, it looked like the townsfolk had no trouble getting tapes when necessary, and with Internet getting Slayer and Tupac on any computer in seconds, this above all else really makes the film seem dated.

All this wouldn’t seem so disjointed if more time was given to flesh everything out, but I swear, about 25% of this movie consists of songs and dance montages – significantly undermining director Herbert Ross’ chances to move the story forward. This is why I strongly prefer the Footloose tale in the musical theatre forum, since it allows the characters to sing those same songs from the original film (and, in turn, use them to supplement their own development as characters). Plus, without such insights, it is hard to imagine such character turns as Sarah Jessica Parker looking for the nearest man to move around with on the dance floor…or Kevin Bacon taking on five dudes in a fight….you know what? Never mind, comment retracted.

Put simply, this is a classic case of a nostalgic film, one that clearly has flaws in consistency and usage of time…but that also has a great deal of charm and supplies a great deal of memorable scenes and songs that will stick with you even after your broken, aged hips prevent you from dancing anymore. And I do like that it has a unique message that does combine all three plotlines: in the end, even in pain or unfamiliarity or oppression, the choice to do what’s right is something we each are entitled and obligated to hold onto. No excuses, no copouts, just move forward. Next step for me? More blankets.

(Overall Score: 7/10, 6/10 if you are born after the 1980s.)

TOMORROW (DAY 5): MY COUSIN VINNY