The win-win plot of Herbert Ross’s Footloose inspired an official remake of the same name in 2011 apart from mildly influencing Madhuri Dixit’s comeback film Aaja Nachle in 2007. It isn’t too late for official Indian version with the right actors, choreographer and composer. The moral panic that prevents dancing in the original 1986 movie is very prevalent in India today.
Footloose is available on Netflix. (Its mostly faithful remake can be rented from Prime Video). Ross’s movie draws us in right from the opening credits, which are rolled over a simple and yet highly effective montage of dancing feet. The title song by Kenny Loggins bookends a lightweight, angst-free and enjoyable drama about rebellious teenagers and an orthodox Christian priest in an all-white American town.
Reverend Shaw (John Lithgow) uses his Sunday sermons to preach against generalised immoral behaviour, of which dancing is somewhere at the top. Ren (Kevin Bacon), who has recently arrived in the town with his mother, soon realises that apart from dancing, Shaw and his followers frown upon other such sacrilegious acts as reading Kurt Vonnegut’s classic novel Slaughterhouse-Five.
Shaw’s railings fail to rein in his own daughter Ariel (Lori Singer). Falling for Ariel is a bit easier for Ren than persuading the community to lift a ban on dancing, Ren discovers.
The movie recommends gentle accommodation over outright war. Ren’s rebellion is never so outrageous as to be unacceptable. Shaw is put in his place without caricaturing his beliefs. There are some fine scenes between Shaw and his wife Vi (Dianne Wiest), who reminds him of the difference between leading a community and being a good parent.
The superb soundtrack is judiciously spread out through the film. Moving Pictures’ Never plays in the background during Ren’s iconic solo performance in a warehouse.
In another charming sequence, Ren teaches his new school friend Willard (Chris Penn) to improve his terpsichorean skills. The big dance at the end has the most amount of choreographed moves, of the kind that enthused teenagers are likely to make rather than highly trained performers. Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s choreography is as unassuming as the film itself. The songs are foot-tapping, while the dancing might encourage us to get off our sofas and cut loose, footloose and kick off our Sunday shoes.
