Movie review: Footloose (1984)

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Footloose, a 1984 classic, stars Kevin Bacon as Ren McCormack, a teenager whose family has just moved from the suburbs of Chicago to the rural town of Bomont. Ren learns that the pastor (played by John Lithgow) imposed a dancing and rock music ban within the city limits after he had a child die in a car accident following a party years earlier. Meanwhile, the senior prom is approaching and Ren and his fellow high school classmates need to find a way to hold their dance without breaking the law.
Movies to compare it to: Dirty Dancing (1987), Flashdance (1983) and Grease (1978).
Other significant cast members include Lori Singer as Ariel Moore and Sarah Jessica Parker as Rusty.
Andrew’s Rate-O-Meter Score: 7/10
MPAA/CARA rating: PG
Runtime: 1hr 47min
I gave Footloose an 7/10 mostly because of the music by “Soundtrack King” Kenny Loggins; one of his songs provides the title of this film. Otherwise, the plot has a few holes, and is somewhat silly, but a good cast and fantastic performances by Bacon and Lithgow make you feel like you are right there in Bomont.