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I have a vague recollection of Footloose from my childhood. I was only 10/11 at the time, but I seem to remember my father not wanting my sister to see this movie. I could be completely off base here - but that's what I remember going down. I guess back in the day this movie had that kind of effect. Myself, I didn't see Footloose until about 10 years later when I was in university. It was one of those late nights where I sat up watching television all night. (In reality, pretty much every day in university was like that for me.) I remember thinking it was an okay movie, and I couldn't help but wonder what my father's problem was. Now, another 10 years later, I find myself revisiting the movie yet again.
It's the story of a kid named Ren (Kevin Bacon) and his need to dance his socks off. The problem? He's the new kid in town - a town where public dancing isn't allowed. So naturally, nobody likes him. Enter Ariel (Lori Singer). She's a girl who also needs to dance - but she's got bigger problems than the town's bylaw. Her father (John Lithgow) is the town minister, and one of the men behind the "no dancing" law. (As it turns out, the Reverend lost a son in a freak car accident that involved drinking and dancing.) So, to piss her father off, Ariel heads off with Ren. Isn't that always the way? Soon though, Ren shows the good minister that he isn't such a bad guy - and that dancing isn't so bad either. And to prove it, Ren organizes a prom night dance, everybody cuts a jig and they all dance themselves into oblivion.
Looking back at Footloose, here's what I get. My father is John Lithgow and my sister is Ariel. My father doesn't want my sister doing anything, but my sister will do anything and everything in order to piss my father off - just like in the movie. (For arguement's sake, Ren could be any on of a number of guys that went through the revolving door we'll call my sister's bedroom.) The one difference - my father would've never allowed the dance - just like I don't think he ever let her see this movie. It's pretty funny now that I think of it this way!
You know what else is funny? Some parts of this movie - it was just preposterous - but in the best possible way. Like when Kevin Bacon breaks out in a dance in the barn. But at the same time, it's moments like this that define the movie. And in the end, that's why I really enjoyed it. Besides, it's a musical. People are supposed to break out in dance numbers. Would you knock Grease for the song and dance scenes?
There are a few special features included with this DVD, but not nearly as many as I would have liked.
First, we get a commentary from Kevin Bacon. This guy is a God. He's one of the coolest guy on the planet, and he comes across that way in this commentary. Although there are too many periods where there is a lot of dead air, he proves to be a very smart and funny guy, and makes this chat worth a listen.
Second, we get a commentary from producer Craig Zadan and writer Dean Pitchford. If dead air was the problem the first time, you don't need to worry here. These guys go on and on, and make it interesting at the same time. They go over everything from the concept of the film, to the story, the casting, the locations and of course the music. They go on about how at every turn, there was somebody who was out to get them - and how at times it seemed this movie would never get made. Like how the studio suits didn't like the story - how the brass didn't want to hire Kevin Bacon - or how certain studio jerks thought the soundtrack would never work. And of course, the commentary details how each thing they were told would fail ended up succeeding. The story was great. Kevin Bacon went on to become one of the most recognizable names on the planet. And the soundtrack pretty much launched MTV - or at least that's how they make it seem. I'll give the guys credit - and their commentary is thoroughly entertaining - but at times I felt like it was a big "I told you so" to everyone who ever told them they were going to fall on their faces.
Footloose: A Modern Musical is a two-part retrospective featurette looking at how it all began and what a phenomena it ended up becoming. We get interviews with pretty much everybody involved in the movie, save director Herbert Ross, who died in 2001. I found that a lot of the stories conveyed here were already told in the audio commentaries, thus making this a little redundant. Like the studio not wanting Kevin Bacon. Or Kevin Bacon running into hairdressers across the globe who still talk to him about his haircut. Still, it was nice to see how some of the actors aged in the last 20 years. For example, Kevin Bacon looks pretty much the same - Lori Singer looks like she hasn't aged which I'll attribute to her surgeon - Chris Penn put on a pound or two - and John Lithgow went bald. One question? Where's Sarah Jessica Parker? She's arguably one of the bigger names to come out of this production? Although she'll lower herself to shill for The Gap, I guess she's too good to lower herself to appear on this DVD.
Finally, we get "Footloose: Songs That Tell A Story". Here, we go over all the music and how integral Footloose was in bridging the gap between movies and music - how this soundtrack was single handedly responsible for the success of MTV. Okay, not really - we all know Michael Jackson launched MTV. But Footloose was pretty big. Imagine that some of the of the biggest songs of the 1984 all got their start here? Apparently there were weeks - months even - where you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing a song featured on this soundtrack!
But at the same time, this was part of my problem. If music was such a big part of the movie, why not throw in a music video - or two - or three for that matter. Or why not have a music only track on the DVD? For the cultural phenomena the movie is made out to be - and for a Special Collector's Edition DVD - I found the extras lacking. And although the existing audio track was damn good, the video showed it's age. Couldn't they have spruced up the picture a little?
All that being said, I still love this movie. And although the features are lacking in terms of quantity, the quality is there, and they only serve to enhance the final product. It's a bit cheesy in retrospect, but in all honesty, there are times while watching where I wanted to get up and dance dammit.
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