SOUND OFF: FOOTLOOSE 2011: Holding Out For A Hero

Just moments ago the trailer for the 2011 re-imagining of the 1984 Herbert Ross musical film FOOTLOOSE hit the internet, and while the emphasis was on the attractive, largely up-and-coming cast and the gritty, earthy take on the revamped and modernized material, there were enough glimpses of boot-kickin', booty shakin' and barn-stormin' to please the gleeks, DWTS addicts and Broadway musical fans out there in the dark, as well. After all, it isn't very often at all anymore that a film boasting a musical element as prevalent as that in the new 2011 FOOTLOOSE comes along, so - if only for that - it's a cause for anticipatory excitement. Directed by HUSTLE & FLOW helmer Craig Brewer, the new Craig Zadan/Neil Meron-produced big screen version of the classic story of a town that banishes dancing and the scrappy new kid on the bleak block who puts the spark back in their step clearly appears to be a fully-functioning new twist on the tale all its own, ready to reintroduce the story to a whole new generation hungry for a dance-heavy hit. After all, it's been quite awhile since there was a decent movie-musical or music/dance-centric film - HAIRSPRAY, actually (also a Zadan/Meron production), and CHICAGO before that. While this new FOOTLOOSE does not have any traditional burst-into-song moments - as the late-90s Broadway stage version did (though the original film did not) - the dance element is at the forefront of the proceedings, front and center. Yet, what music can we expect?

Let's Hear It For The Boys (& Girls)

Featuring BURLESQUE and DANCING WITH THE STARS star Julianne Hough, along with Dennis Quaid in the role of the preacher who does what he believes in his heart - and for daughter - is best, along with Andie MacDowell as his long-suffering wife and a whole high school full of talented fresh, new faces - first and foremost among them being newcomer Kenny Wormed - the new FOOTLOOSE is all its own thing. It seems to steer clear of the DIRTY DANCING 2 formula and actually brings a modern sensibility to a truly timeless story ostensibly about the power of music and dance to unite people. Indeed, while it will be tough to beat comparisons with Kevin Bacon, John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest, Sarah Jessica Parker and what made the original Herbert Ross FOOTLOOSE so classic and what makes it a choice to cherish for so many - for a multitude of reasons, the most obvious being the stupendous, multi-platinum soundtrack - leaving an indelible impression on an entire generation, the intention is to honor the original but to branch out and bridge it to the new century and how very much life has changed for high-schoolers in the last twenty-five years. And, what hasn't. Will FOOTLOOSE 2011 strike a chord and hit a note the way the original did? Only time will tell - and October is fast approaching - but the glossy sheen of the well-designed trailer trotted out tonight certainly gives gleeks and Broadway babies a glimmer of hope - at least insofar as the promise of a few rousing barn-burners of dance extravaganzas are concerned -whether or not you like your dancing Krunk). As far as the dramatic side of things is concerned, the new drunken car crash angle for justification of the town-wide curfew and disallowing of any and all dancing makes it have more of an edge where it could have come off as slightly goofy and quaint, as the original did. Good move - or, should I say: right step. Speaking of which: Have you seen the original recently? The song sequences hold up, but not a heck of a lot else does(despite solid very early performances by Sarah Jessica Parker, Chris Penn and others). There is certainly room for improvement and this enterprise has a Hollywood sheen and studio shine that will either cover flaws or magnify them, depending on how the new take on the story plays on screen and how it is captured.

While it has not yet been confirmed by those involved and in-the-know exactly what songs we can expect in the new 2011 version of FOOTLOOSE and on the Warner Bros. Nashville-released soundtrack for it, the screenplay penned by original story writer - and Broadway musical author - Dean Pitchford is a surefire step in the right direction, judging from a draft I read of it last year. Yes, what of the music? After all, this is stepping all over the sacred sawdust strewn floors of the honky tonk bars, thrilling power-ballad scored tractor races and cheekily endearing country proms implicit in one of the quintessential modern movie musicals of the last twenty-five years (even if the songs were never dietetic in the first place). Certainly, considering all of that - and the unmistakable shots of the number in the trailer - Kenny Loggins' pulsating title song will be retained, along with - one hopes - the classic Jim Steinman-penned power ballad originally performed by "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" operatic growler Bonnie Tyler, "Holding Out For A Hero", in addition - again: one hopes - a generous portion of the songs from the original film ("Let's Hear It For The Boy", etc.) with a healthy new twist and polish by the artists of today, whoever the chosen few may be. Original songs welcome, as well, of course - but, I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that if you are going to call it FOOTLOOSE you have to give the audience a little bit of what they expect, if only to endear yourselves to them momentarily - and, even if they have never seen the original they will be aware of some of the more classic sequences; namely: Bacon's solo headlight-spotlight cut-loose dance; the epic "Hero" tractor race; and, of course, the classically campy rollicking finale featuring the eponymous country/rock/pop Loggins anthem. What will the music producers retain - and, what exactly is the aim of this new remake in the larger sense, anyway? Clearly, Brewer and company are adding some weight and gravitas to the story and the cast will add a vivacity and excitement that only fresh-faced new stars can bring, and, of course, we can most certainly be assured that the musical quotient - whatever it may be - will be uniformly impressive, especially coming from the genius producers behind the film versions of CHICAGO, HAIRSPRAY, GYPSY with Bette Midler for TV (as well as DROP DEAD DIVA and the new NBC musical series SMASH), Craig Zadan and Neil Meron - but will it truly jump off the screen as it could? We shall see - but if anybody can put pep in the step of a movie musical, it is Zadan/Meron.

Furthermore, what does the BroadwayWorld community at large think of the 2011 FOOTLOOSE trailer? Does it make you want to get up and boogie or turn in your dance card? Only when the film opens in October will we know for sure what is truly in store! What an exciting glimpse of an unexpectedly enjoyable and dramatically engaging new take on a classic movie musical so beloved by generations - with a new one getting their very own spin and shake and shimmy on it all thanks to FOOTLOOSE 2011. Get your boots laced up and polished!

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