LET'S DANCE

"Cut loose, footloose, kick off your Sunday shoes".

The opening lyrics to a dance classic that could get almost everybody moving. This week we will be discussing 'Footloose".

Footloose puts us in the shoes of Chicago city boy Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) when he moves to a small town of Beaumont and is almost instantly labeled as an outcast. Kevin isn't an average trouble maker, but is instead misunderstood for his interest in music and dancing, something relevant even in modern society.  

Ren quickly befriends country boy Willard Hewitt (Chris Penn) and starts developing feelings towards rebellious girl Ariel Moore (Lori Singer) daughter of Shaw Moore (John Lithgow) who is the Reverend of the town. Giving the audience a clear indication of who we are going up against.

Of course it's the older generation in the movie that sees him as a delinquent, while the kids and most of the teens look up to Ren as he is independent and is teaching them that music is one of the best things the world has to offer. This is where the real charm of the movie starts to show; with its soundtrack.

Ren provokes Ariel's abusive boyfriend Chuck Cranston (Jim Youngs) and thus challenges Ren to game of chicken with tractors. This is the closest we will get to action in this film and admittedly it's a bit stale, but we all oversee it due to the energizing song Holding on to a hero- Bonnie Tyler. Ren drives Chuck off the trail caused by his shoe getting caught on the footrest, and wins the respect of the other kids in town. This shows that even in tough situations we can still come out on top despite having the odds against us.

Ren tries to get his new found friends into the spirit of dancing, so he convinces Willard, Ariel, and her best friend Rusty (Sarah Jessica Parker) to a country club in the next town. We really start getting the urge to dance as we see Ren and Ariel sweat on the dance floor and experience the joy of dancing for the first time as we wish to be there with them. However, Willard does not know how to dance and is nervous about looking like a fool in front of Rusty. Willard is probably the most relatable in the film because most of us are probably shy about dancing, but yet we still feel like kicking off our Sunday shoes when our favorite song comes on.

The film also gives us backstory on why music is dancing is frowned upon in town. It tells how Ariel's brother was killed years ago while listening to music as he drove off a bridge while intoxicated with his friends. This action motivated father Moore to ban music. We start to understand father Moore from this as we can only imagine what it's like to loose a son and wanting to protect other from the same fate.

Ren teaches Willard how to dance to impress Rusty with the song Let's hear it for the boy- Deniece Williams, and while doing so gets the idea of starting a senior prom. Ren goes up against Father Moore and the city council and  reads a passage of the Bible referencing how dancing is used to worship, celebrate, and exercise. Even after touching the hearts of the council members Father Moore still denies his request. This is an aggravating scene as we see Ren has sources and is truly passionate about this cause only to get shot down. Something good comes out of this, we see Ariel leave chuck as she starts to fall for Ren as he is able to make her feel and move like she has never before.

Ren starts getting assaulted by chuck and his goons, and even his family is turning against him, this is the lowest we see Ren. When the world is against him he turns to the one things he can trust: music. This gives us the most iconic scene in the movie. The angry dance scene with the song Never, if you weren't already dancing throughout the film then here is where you can't resist the urge to dance all over your living room.

Ariel meets up with Ren, they share a moments and they kiss. giving us a warm feeling and compassion as there is always a spark. This encourages Ariel to confront her Father and reveal that she is no saint and has also been involved in sexual acts. this is as hard for her as it is for him, but he does come to realize that he needs to give her freedom so she can learn and experience in order to become the person she is meant to be. Father Moore approves the senior dance which leads to the teens getting ready for the big night.

All seems to be coming to the end as we are relieved that the kids are going to experience the freedom of self expression and relief that comes with dancing after not being able to move for so long, but there is unfinished business that the audience forgot about: chuck. On the night of the Prom outside the dance hall he picks a fight with Ren and Willard as revenge for turning the town upside down. With teamwork they overcome the bullies and go on to enjoy a night they'll never forget after Ren says his most iconic line "I thought this was a party, LETS DANCE!"

The movie ends with the theme song Footloose- Kenny Loggins as we watch the kids dance their hearts out. When the credits roll we are dancing along to the catchy beat and we get the feeling that dancing is motivating and have the craving to go to the nearest dance floor.