'Footloose' Remake is Same Old Song and Dance

A remake of the original from 1984, Footloose pits old farts who hate rock and roll against wild, young, dancing teens who want to shake their groove thing all night long.

The story remains basically the same. Some teens, including the son of a local reverend, are killed in a car accident after a night of dancing and partying. The reverend (Dennis Quaid) then leads the drive to pass an ordinance forbidding public dancing. Fast forward a few years. Now the reverend's daughter Ariel, played by Julianne Hough, starts to stir up controversy by participating in some forbidden, underground dancing. Plus the new kid in town, Ren McCormack (Kenny Wormald) stirs up even more controversy in the role originally played by Kevin Bacon.  

McCormack, along with the town's teens, petition the city to allow dancing. This just spells trouble. For a town that hasn't had any public dancing in a while, those kids seem suspiciously well choreographed. Look, when you do a remake of a movie that's not great to begin with, you are going to get, well, another not-so-great movie.

The tunes were catchy and perhaps the best thing about the film. Some songs were remakes of the originals, some others are new. Footloose is good clean fun, ridiculously far-fetched and, for the most part, too cute and loaded with gobs of sap.

The flick-o-meter gives Footloose barely a three out of five. Fans of the original may like it and teens will should have a decent experience, as well. It just doesn't have that dancing edge the original had — sorry.

Location:

"Footloose" can be found in our Smyrna-Vinings Patch at at 3101 Cobb Parkway. Showtimes are at 11:40 a.m., 12:40 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 3:15 p.m., 4:50 p.m., 7:25 p.m., 8:25 p.m., and 9:55 p.m.

After the Movie:

If all that dancing has you hungry as a pig, then head over to Hogtoberfest, now ongoing through Saturday at . This special limited-time-only pork-centric menu doesn't cut the fat on flavor:

Pork Rinds – sea salt, vinegar $5
Crispy Fried Pig Ears – ‘General Lee’ honey $5
Ham & Melon – Benton’s TN prosciutto, Padrón peppers, tarragon $8
Green Chili – braised pork, poblano, green tomatoes, hominy $7
Ham & Cheese Fritters – city ham, cheddar, cauliflower chow chow $7
Pork Rillette – cornichons, mustard, levain toast $7
Greens, Eggs & Ham – frisee, lardons, farm egg, Dijon dressing $9
Thuringer – Brussels sprouts, grain mustard $6
Boudin Blanc – okra stew $6
Clams Casino Gratin – SCKV house-cured bacon, garlic butter $9
Beer Belly – pork belly, pickled cherries, barlotto $12
‘Cue-ban – shaved whole roasted leg, country ham, yellow mustard, pickle spear $8
Tongue ‘n Cheek – orange olive braise, polenta grits, gremolata $12

And to wash it all down, there’s specials on a great selection of local beers, too!
Terrapin Peaotch $25 (20 oz.)
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis $6 (12 oz.)
Rogue Dead Guy Ale $7 (12 oz.)
Wild Heaven Ode to Mercy $8 (12 oz.)
Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber $6 (12 oz.)
Brooklyn Local 1 $30 (750ml)
Uinta Wyld Extra Pale Ale $6.50 (12 oz.)

For reservations, call 404-873-7358 or click here.

Download the movie