(8)Kick off your Sunday shoes(8)

Some will and some won't recognise the title of this post, but for those who don't, it is a line from the song Footloose, which was of course the title of the major 80s movie that originally featured it too. I am not quite an 80s child- my birth just crept into the 90s, and I have no knowledge of the original film at all- I haven't even watched it any of the many times it has been shown on television over the years. To be honest I knew very little about it, but thought it did not really seem my cup of tea, so did not bother to find out more.

I saw a screening of the new version today though. I saw the trailer a few weeks ago in 'Friends With Benefits' and was not blown away, however, I thought since I had free tickets then why not? The film is funny and pretty much believeable. The characters are developed well and relatable and it was just a nice, fun time at the cinema. I don't know whether having low expectations made this better for me, as it blew them away, or whether it really was that good. I can't imagine the original being much better to be honest and this remake was done well I think, bringing the story to a more modern age with iPods, technology and modern songs, but keeping it quite conservative with a small, religious, town setting.

Apparently the plot differs slightly from the original, such as the character Ren McCormack having a different backstory. At the heart it is still a fun packed movie with plenty of drama and dancing to go around. The opening sequence was pretty spectacular, with some fine footwork being displayed throughout, and the dancing scenes were some of the highlights of the film (watch out for a highly amusing scene near the middle where friend Willard (Miles Teller) starts learning to dance) and there was a definite cute factor in the form of Ren's little cousins Amy and Sarah as well. A good standard of cinematography and some solid performances by the cast (particularly Dennis Quaid as the Reverend). A nice film (probably more a girly teen flick than anything aimed at much older people- although my mum really enjoyed it too), that has enough in it to leave you feeling upbeat and glad you chose to watch it. If, like me, you were reluctant then give it a try, even if you wait for the DVD release.