Footloose (1984)

A city teenager moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace.

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writer:

Dean Pitchford

Stars:

Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Bacon	...	Ren
Lori Singer	...	Ariel
John Lithgow	...	Rev. Shaw Moore
Dianne Wiest	...	Vi Moore
Chris Penn	...	Willard (as Christopher Penn)
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Rusty
John Laughlin	...	Woody
Elizabeth Gorcey	...	Wendy Jo
Frances Lee McCain	...	Ethel McCormack
Jim Youngs	...	Chuck Cranston
Douglas Dirkson	...	Burlington Cranston
Lynne Marta	...	Lulu Warnicker
Arthur Rosenberg	...	Wes Warnicker
Timothy Scott	...	Andy Beamis
Alan Haufrect	...	Coach Roger Dunbar

Storyline

Classic tale of teenage rebellion and repression features a delightful combination of dance choreography and realistic and touching performances. When teenager Ren McCormack and his family move from big-city Chicago to a small Midwestern town, he's in for a real case of culture shock. Though he tries hard to fit in, the streetwise Ren can't quite believe he's living in a place where rock music and dancing are illegal. However, there is one small pleasure: Ariel Moore, a troubled but lovely blonde with a jealous boyfriend. And a Bible-thumping minister, who is responsible for keeping the town dance-free. Ren and his classmates want to do away with this ordinance, especially since the senior prom is around the corner, but only Ren has the courage to initiate a battle to abolish the outmoded ban and revitalize the spirit of the repressed townspeople. Fast-paced drama is filled with such now-famous hit songs as the title track and "Let's Hear It for the Boy".

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Plot Keywords:

teenage rebellion | small town | high school dance | church | cowboy boots | 

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Taglines:

All he wanted to do was dance.

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 February 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Footloose

Filming Locations:

American Fork Community Presbyterian Church - 75 North 100 East, American Fork, Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,556,935, 19 February 1984

Gross USA:

$80,035,402

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures,Phoenix Pictures,IndieProd Company Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In a 2013 interview with Howard Stern, Kevin Bacon admitted that he has actually tipped DJs at weddings NOT to play Footloose. He stated that people expect him to dance the song as he did in the movie. In truth, while he did do some of the dancing there was also a dancing double for him as well.

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Goofs

When the Rev. arrives at the library he takes a stack of books and gives them to a boy to return. He then takes another stack of books which he holds onto but then he takes another stack of books in his empty hands and holds them through the scene.

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Quotes

Reverend Shaw Moore: I'm standing up here before you today... with a very troubled heart. You see, my friends... I've always insisted on... taking responsibility for your lives. But, I'm really... like a first-time parent... who makes mistakes... and tries to learn from them. And like that parent... I find myself at that moment when I have to decide. Do I hold on... or do I trust you to yourselves? Let go and hope that you've understood... at least some of my lessons. If we don't start trusting our children... how ...

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Alternate Versions

CBS edited 10 minutes from this film for its 1987 network television premiere.

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Connections

Referenced in Family Guy: Amish Guy (2011)

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Soundtracks

The Girl Gets Around
Written by Sammy Hagar and Dean Pitchford
Performed by Sammy Hagar

User Reviews

It makes me feel like dancing

EVERYBODY CUT FOOTLOOSE As we all know 1984 produced a lot of great things. One of the best was "Footloose". Here's my thoughts on this timeless masterpiece which I brought on DVD this week

-Most good movies have a great opening and Footloose is no exception. A bunch of feet dancing showcasing the great footwear of the 80's to the soundtrack song "Footloose". Immediately gets you in -Kevin Bacon's character has one of the all-time great movie names: "Ren McCormack" -Funny how this is probably Kevin Bacon's greatest role, maybe only challenged by "Flatliners". It's amazing how so many actors never repeat their efforts of their first breakthrough movie (See Lou Diamond Phillips, Chris Rock and Madonna for starters) -Also starring in this movie is one of Hollywood's greatest lesser known brothers, Sean Penn's brother Christopher. He's way better than Dan Swayze or Charlie Murphy. -Kenny Loggins will go down as one of the greatest contributors to movie hit songs ever. Footloose's "Footloose" and Top Gun's "Danger Zone". -This is another one of those movies built around a town's overzealous pastor's. Reverand Shaw (John Lithgow) is even more intense than that guy in "Chocolat" -Great action scene at the start with Lori Singer car surfing (watch the slightly impossible way she gets back in the car) -Also look for the great David Hasselhoff 2 second cameo -Great scene where the Rev turns off Lor Singer's ghetto-blaster. Everyone stops talking, eating and dancing. Possibly slightly dramatic -Will (Christopher Penn) tells us several other towns have also banned dancing. How wasn't that fact used as the premise for heaps more sequels with Ren going from town to town and reviving dance? Each time he'd face a new obstacle. -Ren mentions his love for "Men at Work" and "The Police", yet he only listens in his car to bad 80's electric rock. Strange. -Weird town. Here a face off equals a tractor fight. -One of the funniest moments is when Chuck gets onto his tractor and puts "I need a hero" on on his ghetto-blaster. That would be awesome to do at a basketball game when you sub in. -Another great Dianne Weist performance. That girl can just capture the whole audience when she wants. Underrated actress. -"Moment I regret now"- Christopher Penn's dance sequence to "Let's Hear It For The Boy" (although it's a great sequence in the movie) -Kevin Bacon's speech to the council was possibly the greatest speech up until that time in cinema history. That is until Sly Stallone raised the bar with his "If I Can Change...." in Rocky 4. Which was then overtaken by Matthew McConaghuey's "Can you see her..." speech in "A Time To Kill"