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Footloose

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 11.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    A dated rebellion tale.

Themes in this movie include:   dating/crushes, family relationships, friendship
updated 11.23.09

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 11–13

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    To keep fighting for what you believe in... or keep dancing for what you believe in.

What to watch out for

  • Role models:

    A girl straddles a moving car and a pickup truck. Two boys play a game of chicken in tractors, but ultimately Ren is a charismatic bad-boy gone good.

  • Violence:

    Fisticuffs. One bloody nose and one person knocked out.

  • Sex:

    Teens talk about ordering diaphragms through the mail, masturbation, and going all the way. Two teens are seen getting dressed after they've obviously had sex. We see bare male bums in a shower. There are numerous comments about the preacher's daughter's promiscuity.

  • Language:

    Fairly mild, including "asses" and "bulls--t." The worst is probably "bitch in heat."

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Teens talk of "sniffing spray starch" as a means of getting high. The cool kids smoke cigarettes, drink, and even use a little pot (though smoking dope is mostly frowned upon).

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Footloose was written by Randy White

Parents need to know that the music and movement will keep preteens entertained, but the sexual material and profanity may be too mature for the youngest. Teens will enjoy the energy of it, but the music is dated and the central conflict (to hold a dance or not) is a bit hard for teens to buy.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about how we stand up for our values.
  • What would you have done in Ren's shoes?
  • How do you relate to authority figures similar to the one portrayed by John Lithgow?
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More on Footloose

What’s the Story?

Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) moves to a small Iowa town where a fundamentalist preacher (John Lithgow) has banned dancing, rock 'n roll, and immoral books. He chafes at the restrictions and also runs into difficulties with some of the locals who aren't fond of outsiders. But Ren's rebellious streak catches the eye of the preacher's libertine daughter, Ariel (Lori Singer). Frustrated, Ren leads a group of teens across the border for some illicit dancing. Then he petitions the town council for permission to hold a dance, but his impassioned speech falls on deaf ears. Fortunately, the preacher turns the other cheek when his wife (Dianne Wiest) and Ariel tell him he's being a bad father and a poor minister. With the preacher's consent, the dance goes forward, and some local good old boys even learn how to shake it.
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Is It Any Good?

Released at the dawn of the music video age, the movie shows the definite influence of MTV. With extended dance sequences that are only tangentially related to the plot, the movie plays, in parts, like an early rock video. Teens of the 1980s loved this movie and its music, but today's teens might be bored with the contrived plot, cookie cutter characters, and outdated music.

The love story between the two leads and the preacher's change of heart are unconvincing. But more importantly, why would anybody ban dancing? In this very strange town, drinking and smoking are pretty much ignored, but dancing is definitely a no-no. And the conversion of the preacher is implausible -- a raving tyrant in one scene, he is the voice of reason in another. Poor John Lithgow gives it all he has, but even this fine actor cannot make sense of the character. Kevin Bacon has a lot of fun with his part, but the same cannot be said for Lori Singer.
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Movie Details

Studio: Paramount Pictures, Director: Herbert Ross
Run time: 107 minutes
Theatrical release: 1/1/1984, DVD release: 7/23/2003
MPAA Rating: PG for mature themes.

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    gothqueen CC
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    Cut loose Footloose = )

    This shows fight for what you love. I don't know if they'll ruin this movie with the remake but this version is awesome. The preacher in this movie is over protective but at the end he says " How can our children become trustworthy if we don't trust them" I like that

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    drama_1414
    Lives in Ohio
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  3. Adult Reviewer
    copperzinc
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 3.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  4. Adult Reviewer
    mamagoose_w3
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title iffy and give it 4.0

    One of my favorites!

    I really enjoy this movie and remember watching it when I was a teenager. I have watched it several times since then. I would not recommend it for kids younger than 13 since it does deal with sexual situations and has some harsh language.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  5. Adult Reviewer
    baconbrother4
    Lives in Michigan
    I rate this title iffy and give it 4.0

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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