Footloose
1984, Drama, 1h 47m
44 Reviews 250,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
There's not much dancing, but what's there is great. The rest of the time, Footloose is a nice hunk of trashy teenage cheese. Read critic reviews
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Cast & Crew
Ren McCormack
Ariel Moore
Reverend Shaw Moore
Vi Moore
Willard Hewitt
Rusty
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Critic Reviews for Footloose
Audience Reviews for Footloose
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Aug 24, 2016So I finally cut the original "Footloose," can you believe it? It's pretty good, and interestingly enough, less hokey and polished than the remake. Kevin Bacon's dance double is a bit obvious. I'm not into Lori Singer's face, and she's clearly not a dancer like Julianne Hough, but she's plenty wild and troubled (unlike my previous assumption of Ariel's character just from viewing the 2011 remake), which is quite ballsy for a 1984 movie, methinks. Chris Penn is adorable as honky-tonk Willard, and the "Let's Hear It For the Boy" dance montage is just everything. Rusty is a fun, colorful supporting character, and I always love seeing SJP in her younger roles. She looks completely different, yet still unmistakably herself. The original's got a few 80s oddities, like the hair metal, the camera editing tricks, the gauzy balloon and confetti filter during the prom dance, and a high school full of built, adult-looking, male gymnasts, but one thing that I enjoyed more here is the fleshing out of Shaw and Vi's story. I've always thought John Lithgow such a goofy actor, by virtue of "3rd Rock From the Sun" being my first exposure to him, but I forget that he's actually a very decorated performer, and he is brilliantly grave and conflicted as the Reverend. Dianne Wiest also gives a quietly determined performance as the good little preacher's wife.Alice S Super Reviewer
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Aug 09, 2012Classic 80's film but like a lot of other films you return to later in life it's not as good as you remember. Having said that Bacon is excellent in the lead and you can see why the film made him a star. Singer is also a sexy co-star and Lithgow is a sympathetic villain as Singer's father and the local Rev. The dancing (especially the angry dance in the warehouse) is very cheesy now but the actors do their best to sell it. Overall it's kitsch fun but it's no surprise they remade it in 2011 and there was little outcry. There's no substance here, just style.David S Super Reviewer
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Oct 26, 2011Nostalgic fun with some great tunes. Doesn't age very well, but if you watch it with the timeframe it wa made in mind, it can be a lot of laughs and dancing. Lithgow also rocks pretty hard in it.
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Oct 16, 2011Footloose is an entertaining drama starring Kevin Bacon, and is one of the defining films of the 80's. The film focuses on a teen played by Kevin Bacon who moves to a small religious community who has banned dancing and rock music due to a horrible accident five years earlier. Footloose may seem dated by today's standards, but this is still a fun film with a great story, good soundtrack a good cast and good acting. This film like so many other films such as The Breakfast Club, Ferris Beuller's Day Off and countless other Teen comedy/drama films definitely made an impact on cinema. Footloose, like I've said looks dated, but the angst of teenage rebellion is still relevant among teens that are growing up in an overprotective society. That for me was what Footloose was about. This film has a great cast, and though the film is somewhat silly, and its core is a powerful film about teens speaking up for their beliefs. I thoroughly enjoyed Footloose, more than I expected to. I didn't expect that I would like it the way I did. This is a fun film that blends drama, and hints of comedy very well. The cast is wonderful, and this is a film that you have to watch with an open mind. Sure the film is not what it used to be, but compared to many other dance films, this one is the best. A good film that doesn't deserve the flack it has received.Alex r Super Reviewer
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