Footloose

In this Rebel Without a Cause-esque tale of the liberating power of dance, Kevin Bacon stars as Ren, a James Dean figure who moves from Chicago to a Midwestern town where dancing is outlawed. Soon Ren is stirring things up--butting heads with the town's fundamentalist minister (John Lithgow), while making time with his rebellious daughter (Lori Singer). Structured around rock 'n' roll fueled dance sequences, director Herbert Ross coaxed exuberant performances from budding stars like Bacon as well as relative unknowns such as Chris Penn and Sarah Jessica Parker. But what elevates 1984's Footloose above most of the “Parents Just Don't Understand” teen movies of the 1980s is the sensitive exploration of Lithgow's character, who proves, with the help of Dianne Wiest as his wife, to be a wounded and spiritual man, rather than just a zealot. Dean Pitchford, best known as the Oscar-winning lyricist of Fame, wrote the script and collaborated with Kenny Loggins on the infectious title song. While Footloose is full of myriad pleasures, my favorite is the montage in which Bacon teaches Penn to dance to the tune of Deniece Williams' “Let's Hear It for the Boy.” Sporting only a so-so transfer and a serviceable if unremarkable Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, this extra-less disc is sure to be popular, nevertheless. Recommended. (D. Fienberg)[DVD Review--September 21, 2004--Paramount, 107 min., PG, $14.99--Making its second appearance on DVD, Herbert Ross's iconic '80s boogie-fest Footloose: Special Collector's Edition includes audio commentaries (one by star Kevin Bacon; the other by producer Craig Zadan and writer Dean Pitchford), the two-part production documentary “Footloose: A Modern Musical” (29 min. total), the 13-minute “Songs That Tell a Story” featurette on the film's jaunty soundtrack, and a trailer. Unfortunately, the original's disappointing transfer looks the same. Bottom line: a nice upgrade--extras-wise--from the original barebones release, but Paramount should have sprung for a restored digitally re-mastered release, especially for a so-called "collector's" edition.][DVD/Blu-ray Review—Oct. 11, 2011—Paramount, 107 min., PG, DVD: $14.99, Blu-ray: $24.98—Making its latest appearance on DVD, first appearance on Blu-ray, 1984's Footloose features a lackluster transfer and DTS-HD 6.1 soundtrack on Blu-ray with Dolby Digital 5.1 on DVD. Extras carried over from previous DVD releases include two audio commentaries (one by star Kevin Bacon; the other by producer Craig Zadan and writer Dean Pitchford), New special features include a “Let's Dance!” retrospective interview with Bacon (12 min.), “From Bomont to the Big Apple” interview with costar Sarah Jessica Parker” (8 min.), a “Remembering Willard” tribute to costar Chris Penn (6 min.), and Bacon's screen test (5 min.) and costume montage (3 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the two-part production documentary “Footloose: A Modern Musical” (29 min.), the “Songs That Tell a Story” featurette on the soundtrack (13 min.), and a trailer. Bottom line: not looking as spiffy as it should, this ‘80s teen classic bows on Blu-ray with a winning extras package.]