Waaaay behind the curve reviewing this movie as it opened more than a month ago, but one of the reviews every Monday is no-longer-relevant, so that’s nothing new. I think the extra time also gives perspective. Footloose is a great example, as I would have been more enthusiastic about it immediately after seeing it than I am right now as there’s nothing particularly memorable here.
What Works: Ray McKinnon continues to be one of the most under-appreciated character actors around as Ren McCormack’s uncle/adoptive father. Dennis Quaid gives a more subtle performance than John Lithgow did as the strict, dance-hating preacher. Uhhhh…Julianne Hough doesn’t complete suck…Uhhh…hell, I don’t know…
What Doesn’t Work: BUT having Quaid be more subtle doesn’t exactly make a stronger movie or central conflict. Plus, there’s just no getting around the fact that this movie didn’t need to be remade, shouldn’t have been remade, and only was so a studio executive could milk a little bit of nostalgia out for a strong opening weekend that slides into oblivion a month later. So ultimately it’s a very cynical mentality behind a movie that is supposed to be light-hearted fun.
What I Would Have Done Differently: This is getting very predictable for me to be saying “Not have remade this movie” every remake, but hey, the whole reason these remakes exist is to replicate familiarity, so in that way it’s oddly fitting.