Footloose

Critic Reviews

An unnecessary, though enjoyable, remake of Kevin Bacon's 1984 breakout hit.

-Bruce DionesFull Review

It seems more pandering (and dated) than ever.

-Peter RainerFull Review

"Footloose" has the look and feel of an OK basic cable movie."

-Richard RoeperFull Review

In terms of empty-headed exuberance, it's hard to top Footloose.

-Tom LongFull Review

May not make as great a dent in the current generation as the original film had, but it does offer up a commendable amount of energy and heart...

-William GossFull Review

Paramount's Footloose reboot never quite cuts loose enough to distinguish itself from the original.

-Rob NelsonFull Review

By the time four little girls teach a dorky guy to dance to (the original) "Let's Hear It for the Boy" I was a gelatinous blob of pure affection. Bring on "Flashdance" 2.0.

-Kyle SmithFull Review

Brewer has delivered a largely unobjectionable note-for-note facsimile of Herbert Ross's ode to teenage rebellion, young love and the unfettered joy of movement.

-Ann HornadayFull Review

This new version will quite capably supply the same amount of carefree fun to a new generation. Which is exactly what a clever, if not particularly ambitious, remake sets out to do.

-Stephen WhittyFull Review

Footloose drags its heels to the senior prom and, when it finally gets there, shoves in one last punch-up that puts an odd spin on what should be an upbeat display of happy feet.

-Jennie PunterFull Review

Give credit to Craig Brewer, the filmmaker behind the new Footloose, for realizing a new step was in order.

-Chris VognarFull Review

A new Footloose with sassier steps and the same contrived story is hardly necessary.

-Claudia PuigFull Review

Stays remarkably close to its predecessor in all the ways that count.

-Kenneth TuranFull Review

It's a vibrant youth musical that will appeal to audiences who haven't seen the 1984 original. And it has enough charm and life to it to compete with the memory of the earlier version.

-Mick LaSalleFull Review

Footloose 2011 is harmless as far as it goes, but on the dance floor and off it never goes nearly far enough.

-Peter TraversFull Review

Maybe there is something timeless in anachronism. Maybe Brewer has located the heart beneath the hoke.

-Richard CorlissFull Review

It's an eruption of joyous, jitterbugging energy and a polished piece of filmmaking.

-Colin CovertFull Review

Every now and then, we need to be reminded that shaking your booty is something essential. Or, in the case of director Craig Brewer's Footloose update, shaking your rebooty.

-Steven ReaFull Review

Wormald lacks Bacon's charisma but Hough has an undeniable star quality, and Teller is a comic delight.

-Elizabeth WeitzmanFull Review

The movie plays like a slightly degraded version of the original: the dialogue is a little lamer, the acting a little poorer.

-Sam WorleyFull Review

Somehow "Footloose" never finds its rhythm. The maudlin scenes drag on, and the livelier moments pass by too quickly.

-A.O. ScottFull Review

It's pretty much the same movie, minus some of the more egregious '80s fashions.

-Moira MacDonaldFull Review

Whatever limitations the movie has are part of its charm.

-Rene RodriguezFull Review

When a film depends on feeling something between the photogenic but antiseptic Wormald and Hough, and you don't, you realize why that film may come up short in ways unrelated to dance training.

-Michael PhillipsFull Review

This 2011 version is so similar - sometimes song for song and line for line - that I was wickedly tempted to reprint my 1984 review, word for word.

-Roger EbertFull Review

None of the changes improves on the original Footloose, even though the two young leads are both professional dancers - didn't the budget allow for anything more than raft swinging and barn hoofing?

-Peter HowellFull Review

I don't know what Brewer wanted to capture. There are too many close-ups of stomping, swinging feet to suggest he cared about great choreography.

-Wesley MorrisFull Review

A pleasant reminder of the past for fans of the first one, and an agreeable-enough experience for everyone else.

-Bill GoodykoontzFull Review

In most regards (We still miss Kevin Bacon), this is a "new and improved" "Footloose," funnier, sunnier and funkier. Simply put, it works.

-Roger MooreFull Review

Wormald and Hough are both handsome and good on the dance floor, but they come across more like teen stars in training than representations of real youth angst.

-Jake CoyleFull Review

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Audience

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