Remake Battle Vol. 1: Footloose
Within the last couple of weeks, I have seen both the original and remake of Footloose for the first time, and I have come up with an idea for this blog. The truth is whenever a remake is done it is inevitably compared to the original work. My thought on remakes in general is pretty simple: the original is better and a remake should not be made unless there was an obvious way to improve upon the source material. But in the modern era where we live where intellectual property is considered a fountain where money can be made, there will be remakes and reboots until the cows come home. So why not use that for comparison’s sake so I can have something to post about?
Now here is my plan: whenever a remake or a belated (10ish years or more) sequel comes out, I want to see how it stacks up next to the original work. I will compare the two movies in the following categories: Casting & performance, story, themes, production value (sets, setting, costumes, and makeup), and cinematography. I will score each category out of 20 for a total score of max total score of 100 points. In the event of a tie during the final tally, I will default to the original winning because they were there first. Some of these comparisons will be with two movies that have already been released (like a Rocky vs. Creed comparison) and some could be when an upcoming movie gets released (like when West Side Story comes out later this year).
So without further ado, let’s make the first entry in this new series.
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Footloose Vs. Footloose
Years released: 1984 and 2011
Stars: 1984 original - Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow, Dianne West, Chris Penn, Sarah Jessica Parker (I really wanted to put a Family Guy clip here, but I didn’t. Yay, me!), John Laughlin; 2011 remake - Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough (is there a musical this lady won’t do? Grease, Rock of Ages, Burlesque. Do Something else, dude. Oh wait, she did that raunchy grandpa comedy with De Niro and Efron. I take it back; please stick to musicals.) (don’t click on that hyperlink if you hate gross out comedy. It’s another level of gross.), Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell, Miles Teller, Ray McKinnon, Kim Dickens
Directors: 1984 - Herbert Ross; 2011 - Craig Brewer
Written By: 1984 - Dean Pitchford; 2011 - Craig Brewer, Dean Pitchford (original script)
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Casting & performance
There’s no question that Kevin Bacon is the most successful actor involved in either of these casts. He’s won awards, been in big hits like A Few Good Men, and has had longevity in being in the business for almost 4 decades at this point. He fits the role of Ren very well because if the character is too attractive or easy to get along with it wouldn’t make sense for him to be an outcast. That’s the issue the remake casting runs into with Kenny Wormald. He is too good-looking to be a rebel outcast, and his acting is so over the top at times it’s like he’s in a parody. The important supporting characters in the original tend to be better. John Lithgow’s more subdued delivery as Reverand Moore is better than Randy Quaid’s loud one; although both do well. I would say the same thing comparing Dianne West and Andie MacDowell with West delivering her role with more finesse. Personally, I don’t think either Lori Singer or Julianne Hough stands highly above the other one as Ariel Moore, the troubled preacher’s daughter; but if I had to choose I would go with Hough. The scene with her in the church has a lot more volatile emotion than anything Singer does. Finally, I would say, Miles Teller absolutely blows Chris Penn out of the water as Willard. I cannot remember a single thing that Penn did in the original, but everything Teller does is dripping with swagger and devil-may-care attitude. (He’s my favorite younger actor right now because of how much of a dick he is.) It’s not enough though to push the remake over the original.
Advantage: Original (17 to 11)
Story & Themes:
There is no almost no difference between these two stories. Beat for beat. Conflict for conflict. Poor ending for poor ending. That’s a hill I will die on here: the ending feels incredibly anti-climactic in both cases. The teens don’t even win over the town council itself and just choose to have the dance outside the town limits anyway and there’s nothing the adults do to stop them. Yes, Reverand Moore preaches in support of the young people, but as a churchgoer for my 24 years of living, I’m pretty sure at least one parent would’ve disagreed with him and kept their kid from going. Back to actual comparison though, I am confident that Craig Brewer really didn’t much work when it came to writing a script for the remake. Credit is owed to the 2011 version for the opening dance sequence transitioning into a tragic car accident that is the inciting incident for dancing being outlawed in the town of Bomont. It’s well done. The themes are the same from one movie to the other, with both touching on the rebellious parent-child relationships, expressing yourself, hindsight, and authority. Again, the remake seems to go way over the top with it’s dancing. The parents of Bomont seem to be concerned by what dancing can bring about in their children, and some of that seems very founded in remake as we see the dancing being a little more wild and sexualized. Now I don’t want to hate on more modern dance styles as I find them to be more expressive, but I find the parents’ concern way more valid in the remake. The dancing the original isn’t outlandish and that’s why it makes sense to paint these kids who just want to dance as the protagonists. Particularly I would actually critique the remake itself for this sexualization of Ariel. I know Hugh may have been 22 or 23 when the movie got made, but the character is supposed to be 17. You definitely could’ve toned that back at a bit.
Advantage: Original (13 to 9)
Production Value:
This one is a little more difficult to assess as now the original has a classic 1980s look in the costuming, the vehicles, and buildings where everything is set. But when it was released it was considered a modern movie; whereas now the remake wasn’t a period piece but was intended to be set in a more conservative place. I think the remake nailed that aspect of it with the small-town feel of the Bomont and the county side of everything. Plus the bus race scene in the remake is way more fun to watch than the game of chicken in the original.
Advantage: Remake (14 to 12)
Cinematography:
Again, neither film particularly shines here; but with the remake having some more complicated dance moves in my opinion and the camera capturing them well, I have to give it the slight credit. I’m not taking back my point about the over-sexualization in the remake, but I am impressed by the athleticism on display here. The original has good dance moves too but modern camera technique can capture athletic movements better. I do still love that shot where Kevin Bacon swings on a steel wire in the warehouse though.
Advantage: Remake (14 to 11)
Rewatchability:
Now here is where it gets fun. Obviously if I was going to try and watch a better written and acted movie, I would probably turn on the original. I like seeing a young Kevin Bacon show off his future star power and watching a good subtle performance from Lithgow. To counteract that though, I do enjoy the dancing sequences and action scenes better in the remake because of the higher level of energy. Plus the bizarre overly energetic performances can make for some awkward scenes where I can’t help but laugh. Ultimately though, neither one of these moves really interests me enough to warrant a rewatch.
Advantage: Tie (8-8)
Final score: Original wins 66 to 59. As expected and will probably be the precedent, the original wins. Well that was fun. Hopefully, the half dozen of you who read it liked it. I plan to do it again soon.
6/10 for the original and 5/10 for the remake.
Until I see another one.