Footloose Lacks New Moves, But Not Energy

Julianne Hough, Kenny Wormald star in Craig Brewer's remake
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 14, 2011 12:04 PM CDT

The remake of Footloose, starring Kenny Wormald as a young man who shakes up a dance-free town, isn't much different from the original. But that's not necessarily bad:

  • "This incarnation of Footloose may not make as great a dent in the current generation as the original film had," writes William Goss at Film.com, "but it does offer up a commendable amount of energy and heart" and "ultimately proves itself worthy of that title."

  • In the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan offers a similar assessment, saying the film "doesn't have the emotional impact of the original, but it ups the energy level."
  • The new Footloose treats the original "as a kind of sacred text" that it "merely goes through the motions of updating," writes Rob Nelson in Variety.
  • In the New York Times, AO Scott likes the music, calling it "better and more eclectic than the original." But the film itself "never finds its rhythm."
(More Footloose stories.)

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