Let me also say that because I work in the theatre, it is not uncommon for works to be revisited. Ever heard of revivals on Broadway? They are especially secure for producers in hard economic times because a lot of the revivals are classic, feel good shows that are proven to resonate with audiences. The thing about movies is that you can take them home and watch them over and over again. For the price of a DVD or Netflix subscription you can feel good watching your favorite movie hundereds of times if you choose. The thing about theatre is it's never the same show twice. Each no production breathes new life into a script. Even a different performance of the same production is never quite exaclty the same! With an old movies, well you always know what you're going to get. It's always the same. . .
My point is, don't knock the fact that a new creative team is taking on the challenge of a classic movie. I had high expectations for this movie and boy, did it rise to the occasion! Original dialogue, similar wardrobe, props, settings, etc. were all included in this movie, all without making it set in 1984. While there were some tweaks to the story and how it was presented, it was not (in my opinion) greivous and detrimental to the entire point of the movie. In fact, I think it made the story and the characters stronger because of the choices made by the writers, director, actors, whomever. Choreography was updated, and I felt that some of the choices did a better job of telling the emotional story of what was going on for the characters. There was still enough cheesy dance moves to make it fun and light hearted though. Random jazz squares anyone?
Most of all, I think I fell in love with this movie because it was easier for me to fall in love with Ren. That might be because Kenny Wormald looks like a young Johnny Depp a la 21 Jump Street
In all seriousness though, it's his character development over the course of the movie that won me over. From the moment he steps off the bus and hugs his cousins (who are the cutest girls on the planet btw), to the moment he refuses to let Ariel play games with him, to the moment he has a mature, sincere, almost bonding sort of moment with Reverend Moore, Ren is a strong character that makes me say "Where as that guy at MY high school?" Kevin Bacon also did a great job and I definitely loved his version of Ren. I think the real champion of 2011 Ren's character development lies in the choices of the writer, director, and of course Kenny in how Ren was presented and portrayed.
Anyway. . . that's my rave about 2011's "Footloose." While I am tempted to join the petition to save "Dirty Dancing" from a remake, I'm quite pleased with how this film turned out. I actually think that if the generation who fell in love with this movie orignially gave it a shot and went with younger family members to see it, they might be pleasantly surprised and a good time shall be had by all.
One more thing though: In searching images of "Footloose" (trying to find a good compare and contrast picture to show how they diversified the cast in 2011) I remembered that Zac Effron was originally considered for the role of Ren. While I do love Zac and his dreamy blue eyes, I think he already got his fair share of angsty song and dance. "Never" definitely gave birth to "Scream" from High School Musical 3:
