Footloose (2011)
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A teenager moves to a small Southern town and faces a strict ban on dancing while trying to win over the town's rebellious daughter.
The story
After a tragic accident involving a local youth, the town of Bomont, Georgia, passes draconian laws banning all unsupervised dancing. Three years later, Boston-raised teenager Ren McCormack moves to Bomont to live with his relatives following his mother's death. On his first day at high school, Ren learns about the dancing ban and becomes attracted to Shaw's rebellious daughter, Ariel. Despite the town's strict ordinances and the disapproval of the local reverend, Ren and his classmates begin to organize a movement to challenge the law and hold a senior prom.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following a fatal car accident, Reverend Shaw Moore imposes a ban on dancing in the town of Bomont, Georgia. Three years later, Ren McCormack moves to town and meets Ariel, Shaw's daughter. Ren wins a motocross race against Ariel's boyfriend, Chuck, leading to Shaw's mistrust. Ren and his friends attempt to organize a prom despite the ban. After Ariel is assaulted by Chuck, Shaw blames Ren, but Ariel stands up to him, revealing her loss of virginity and criticizing his domineering nature. Ren eventually meets with Shaw, where they bond over the loss of loved ones. Shaw gives Ren permission to take Ariel to the prom. On prom night, Chuck's gang arrives to cause trouble but is subdued. The event concludes with everyone dancing to a country version of 'Footloose' in a cotton mill.
- First release year
- 2011
- Runtime (minutes)
- 113
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Craig Brewer
- Writers
- Craig Brewer · screenplay; Dean Pitchford · screenplay; Dean Pitchford · story
- Cast and characters
- Kenny Wormald · Ren McCormack; Julianne Hough · Ariel; Andie MacDowell · Vi; Dennis Quaid · Shaw Moore
- Genres
- musical drama; romance; dance; coming-of-age; teen drama
- Themes
- rebellion; tradition vs. modernity; grief; freedom of expression
- Tone and mood
- musical; dramatic; rebellious
- Premise and plot tags
- remake; teen romance; dance movie; small-town drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1984 film Footloose
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 68% and a Metacritic score of 58. It was praised for its energy and respect for the original but criticized for its lack of wit and acting performances.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 68% · review count: 174; Metacritic · score: 58 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Production trivia
- Kevin Bacon declined a cameo as Ren McCormack's deadbeat father.; The film was originally scheduled for release on April 1, 2011, but was moved to October 14, 2011.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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