Call me pretentious. Call me a film snob. Call me an elitist. And I might very well be all these things. But don't ever call me a killjoy.
I just watched Footloose (dir. Herbert Ross, 1984), maybe the best feel-good movie ever with the most quintessential '80's soundtrack I've heard since Dirty Dancing. With not just one but two Kenny Loggins songs, "Let's Hear it For The Boy" by Deniece Williams, "Holding Out For a Hero" and "Dancing in the Sheets", how can you go wrong?! I'm such a sucker for movies with dancing (ask anyone what my favorite movie is), and I have to admit I was skeptical about this movie at first, especially since I'm not the biggest Kevin Bacon fan. But he's just so darn cute and likable, especially with that almost-mullet thing he has going and those painted-on denim pants.
Bacon's character Ren (which is also my sister's cat's name, by the way) moves to a small town with his mother where dancing and listening to rock and roll is against the law with religiously-instigated sanctions put forth by the father of Ren's love interest (played by John Lithgow, although unfortunately not as entertaining as his Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai role). Being from "the big city" of Chicago, Ren's just aching to jam a rockin' tape into his car stereo and dance his skillful feet all over town. Below is a scene of him dancing in anguish that this pent-up town will never see his ways:
Ok, so it's super cheesy. Like gouda and mozzarella and pepper jack all melted together and then eaten with Cheez-Its. But god damnit, it was so entertaining. Especially when Kevin Bacon starts quoting scripture.
All I know is that I was having a pretty stressful day and this movie completely melted that all away. I think I'll be wanting to kick off my Sunday shoes all the way into the weekend.
7 comments:
There is something to be said for an entertainment that makes you feel this way...the aforementioned Buckaroo Banzai is this for me, along with a few other cheese-tastic, totally unhip movies.
Ok you sold me. Any movie with "Let's Hear It For The Boy" on its soundtrack is good in my book.
It's as cheesy as a 4 Cheese Pizza & just as good!!! If you own it, we can show it during our 80s party!
Katharine Relth to Kevin Bacon in less than six steps:
Katharine went to the New School with Josh Rinaldi
Josh Rinaldi was once made fun of Ben Stiller in a phone interview for a college newspaper.
Ben Stiller was in Tropic Thunder with Tom Cruise.
Tom Cruise was in a Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon.
Thus, we can connect Katharine to Kevin in four steps!
How about this one--you did a table reading with Steve Guttenberg, who was in 'Diner' with Kevin Bacon. That's two!
ohhh Josh got pwnd on.
a remake is being made with Zack Effron.
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