City-boy Ren McCormick (Kevin Bacon) is new to an uptight small town where dancing has been banned. Ren quickly makes a new best friend in Willard (Chris Penn) and falls fast for the minister’s daughter (Lori Singer), but his love for music and dancing gets him into hot water equally as fast. – Synopsis via Paramount Pictures
The 1984 film FOOTLOOSE is directed by Herbert Ross. He was best known for directing STEEL MAGNOLIAS and MY BLUE HEAVEN. The writer, Dean Pitchford, based the script on a town in Oklahoma that had banned dancing in the ‘70s.
Having Kevin Bacon in the lead role is a perfect casting. At one point, the part almost went to Rob Lowe and Tom Cruise but when they were unavailable, Kevin Bacon was cast. Bacon was in DINER two years before and that movie is what landed him the role. I think the movie is better for it with his personality in the role. Lori Singer as Ariel works but, in my opinion, she always felt old for the part. It turns out that she is only 10 years younger than Diane West and John Lithgow, who played her parents. She’s perfectly believable as the dual personality preachers daughter/troublemaker and she can dance. Lastly, my favorite is Chris Penn as Willard. He learns to dance and, Chris Penn owns his lack of dancing to the point that they taught him to dance. He learned in real life as well so they worked that little trait into the character.
The soundtrack has a few superb songs such as “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins, “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” by Deniece Williams, “Almost Paradise” by Mike Reno, and “Holding out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler.
Cast
Kevin Bacon as Ren McCormack
Lori Singer as Ariel Moore
John Lithgow as Rev. Shaw Moore
Dianne Wiest as Vi Moore
Chris Penn as Willard Hewitt
Sarah Jessica Parker as Rusty
VIDEO QUALITY
The video is a 2160p HEVC presentation. The remastered images are on the softer side but there is a nice grain that maintains that filmic appearance. That being said, the 4k upgrade looks excellent. The addition of Dolby Vision bumps up the color and it is mostly seen in greens and reds. Contrasting it strong as seen in shadows and clothing. At times, the skin tones look a little cooler than the Blu-ray but are natural for the most part. The beiges of Bomont with the accents of green in the vast fields are nice.
For the most part, the details are overall clean with textures in clothing, dirty equipment, and just that ‘80s-ness that is all over this movie. That being said, I believe some of the softer scenes or shots are because of the source material rather than something happening during the remaster. It could also be from when it was captured.
AUDIO QUALITY
The audio is a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix and it is a weird choice. It is something of a “downgrade” (for lack of a better word) from the previous Blu-ray but it has a good sound.
Music sounds incredible with solid LFEs. For the most part, this mix is heavy in front channels. The crowd noise from scenes like the diner and the bar fills the channels like the music. Car engines, tractors, and other effects come through properly. The Dialogue is clear and natural.
SUPPLEMENTS & PACKAGING
-Audio Commentary: with Craig Zadan and Dean Pitchford
-Audio Commentary: with Kevin Bacon
-Let’s Dance! Kevin Bacon on Footloose
-From Bomont to the Big Apple: An Interview with Sarah Jessica Parker
-Remembering Willard
-Kevin Bacon’s Screen Test
-Kevin Bacon Costume Montage
-Footloose: A Modern Musical – Part 1
-Footloose: A Modern Musical – Part 2
-Footloose: Songs That Tell A Story
-Theatrical Trailer
Disc Details
2-Disc Set w/ 1 4k UHD Disc and 1 Blu-ray
Running Time
107
Edition Ratings
Rated PG
Region Coding
UHD: Region Free
Blu-ray: Region Free
4k UHD
Video Resolution
2160p HEVC/H.265
HDR: Dolby Vision & HDR10
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audio Mixes
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German Dolby Digital 2.0
French Dolby Digital 2.0
Italian Dolby Digital 2.0
Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles
English
English SDH
French
Spanish
Blu-ray
Video Resolution
1080p AVC MPEG-4
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audio Mixes
English DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1
French Dolby Digital 2.0
Portuguese Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles
English
English SDH
French
Portuguese
Spanish
THE BOTTOM LINE
The video does a decent job and is an improvement over the previous release.
The audio is also excellent but let me explain the comment about the “downgrade”. The Blu-ray has a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 and this mix drops a channel. That doesn’t make sense to me unless there’s something I’m missing. Either way, this release does have a fine mix. The extras are on the included Blu-ray and were carried over from the previous release. They’re informative and well worth checking out.
As always, FOOTLOOSE doesn’t disappoint. It’s entertaining and this is the best version available. I highly recommend picking it up.
Bad Habit Online 