Footloose – Blu-ray Review

The Flick:

I was twelve years old when Footloose hit the theatre. I can clearly remember the soundtrack busting out of boom boxes everywhere I went. For the first time in my young life I realized that it was possible for music to be a defining point of a movie’s success. I wasn’t big on musicals, but Footloose has rebelliousness in its heart that won me over.

The story is a fairly simple one. Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) is a big-city kid that moves to a small-town, with big-laws against anything that could result in people fornicating. That’s right folks, Old Testament reigns supreme with Jesus bringing up the rear. Anyway, Ren figures out quickly that he doesn’t fit in with the locals. There is no music allowed (except for classical), no sex (unless it’s with the preacher’s daughter), and absolutely no dancing. What does Ren do when faced with this horribly boring life that has been thrust upon him? I’ll telll you what he does. He decides to date the preacher’s daughter, piss off the entire town, and organize a high school dance. Halleluyah!

Looking back at this classic piece of ‘80s cinema, I was blown away by the amount of “no shit” moments in the film. A “no shit” moment is when something happens that is extremely unlikely under the circumstances and causes one to utter a sentence like; “No shit, even though dancing is against the law, the entire town can out Saturday Night Fever John Travolta?” These are moments that force us to suspend belief and give ourselves up to the cinema gods. Amen!

The performances are pretty solid in this uplifting ode to the pelvic thrust. Kevin Bacon cemented himself as a sex symbol, and John Lithgow rocked the hell out of the pulpit as Reverend Shaw Moore. But it is the music that makes this flick such a memorable one. Filled with ‘80s pop flair, the soundtrack is a testament to the time period. Footloose, the song lives on at every wedding, Lets Hear It For The Boy is a standard on radio rewind shows, and Almost Paradise can still assist with panty removal 27 years later. If that isn’t an argument for a successful soundtrack, then I don’t know what is.

Footloose is a movie that doesn’t need another review, it’s a killer film with a killer sound track and that’s all that really needs to be said. Most of the world has seen it already, and those that haven’t can rent it or wait for the remake to hit theatre screens. I did enjoy revisiting it all these years later, and if my neighbors are reading this, I’m sorry for the noise coming from my house the other night, but this flick needed to cranked up. Just saying.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video

The DTS-HD 6.1 audio sounded fantastic on my home theatre system, and the video, while it didn’t break new ground was satisfying enough for your average moviegoer.

Special Features

Commentary: There are a few tracks on here. one with Producer Craig Zadan, and Writer Dean Pitchford, and another with Kevin Bacon. Both are interesting and worth a listen.

Let’s Dance!: Kevin Bacon talks about his experiences on the set, working on his look, and the music that went into the film. Cool feature that fans are sure to enjoy.

From Bomont to the Big Apple: Jessica Parker talks about her experiences on the film.

Footloose: Songs That Tell a Story: A fun feature that focuses on the soundtrack.

Rounding out the disc are Kevin Bacon’s Screen Test, Theatrical Trailer, Costume Montage, and more.

The Flick: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: