Footloose

Footloose

I think I must have something loose. I am on overload this week end with opera, dinners, Reel Talk and a dinner party at my home. I needed to be in the kitchen preparing. Somehow I knew it would all get done and I felt this would be a lighthearted fun filled film.
I always enjoyed Julianne Hough as one of the winning professional dancers on Dancing With The Stars. She was always my favorite. She is adorable and so perky. Her personality shines. I knew there would be some fine dancing.
Her co partner Kenny Wormald is an amazing dancer as well. The dancing sequences made the film for me. Ren (Wormwald) arrives in a small very red neck community in the south to live with his uncle and family.
A tragedy in this town several years before changed everything. Five young students were killed in a car accident. They had been driving too quickly, partying and not paying attention. The minister in the town (played by Dennis Quaid) lost his son. He maneuvered the town council to come up with some stringent new rules. The young folk were not allowed to dance. They couldn’t listen to loud music and were curtailed in many ways from having fun.
The minister’s daughter, Ariel, (Julianne Hough) is actually quite a wild child. She is rebelling against her father’s rules. She wears provocative clothes. Her boyfriend is a wild kid who drives stock cars. The rebellious young teenagers meet at a car rally and act out all their repressed feelings.
Ren takes a shine to Ariel. He also is battling his demons from his mother’s death. He can’t understand all this southern conservatism. He was brought up in Boston and the behavior and the rules of the town are confusing to him.
Ren falls for the lovely Ariel. As in all fairytales he makes peace with the parents. He becomes a hero in the town.
A story is required to tie together all the dancing acts. The story is not the essential part of the film. The dancing is extraordinary. I loved every sequence. I confess to even shedding a tear or two near the ending of the film. This could be called a high school musical. It is an excuse to showcase the talent of some great dancers. It was juvenile but a lot of fun. I guess you could stretch it and find a moral. The young kids were able to show the adults that they were responsible and deserved to have fun as they grow up.
Young people will relate to this film and I imagine it was geared to that age level. It is a good thing there were only 5 people in the audience. I was able to sneak out quickly.