Tonight I Gotta Cut Loose… Footloose

So, last night we watched the new Footloose remake. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it since the original is one of my all-time favorite movies. Then I started thinking about some other movies that have remakes that are equally as good as the originals: Father of the Bride, Sabrina… If I could like both versions of those movies, then why not Footloose? Part of what I was struggling with is that the soundtrack of the original Footloose is one of the best soundtracks ever. My brother and I wore out our cassette tape (my goodness we’re old!) replaying our favorite Bonnie Tyler and Kenny Loggins tracks. And then there was the cast of the original. How could you beat the cast?

I was extremely apprehensive when we started watching but as the opening riffs of Footloose started, I began to loosen up and before I knew it, I was totally engrossed. I didn’t just like the new Footloose, I loved it. It is new and hip and uniquely its own, but it still manages to pay tribute to the original. The actors didn’t copy what was done in the original but they managed to capture the same magic. And the soundtrack is amazing! It features many of the old songs that have been remade and I might just like Blake Shelton’s version of Footloose as much as Kenny Loggins’. I have to say, this one is a definite buy for me.

The movie stars newcomer (and total cutie) Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell, and (my favorite) Miles Teller. I didn’t think that anyone could play Willard as well as Chris Penn, but Teller was adorable! As much as I love Dennis Quaid I didn’t think that anyone could replace John Lithgow as the Reverend Shaw Moore. Hello! We’re talking about John freaking Lithgow! Let me just say that Quaid totally owns the role. He did a great job. The entire cast had fabulous chemistry.

As I mentioned earlier, I love Blake Shelton’s take on Footloose, but my favorite song on the Footloose soundtrackhad to be Holding Out for a Hero by Ella Mae Bowen. She took my beloved Bonnie Tyler’s song and turned it into an enchanting lullaby. The Footloose love theme, Almost Paradise, got a great new update by Victoria Justice and Hunter Hayes as well. Throw in some more great tracks by Ceelo Green, Big & Rich and Zac Brown (plus many more!) and you have a great soundtrack.