 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Footloose (1984)
- Review Date: March 13, 2005
- PG
- Genre: Drama
- 1984
Common Sense Media says
A dated rebellion tale.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
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.
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.
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loved this movie and its music, but today's teens might be bored with the contrived plot, cookie cutter characters, and outdated music.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.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
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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Teen, 14 years old
August 29, 2009
AGE
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
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Kid, 12 years old
May 31, 2010
AGE
I like this movie. It has good messages. It does have language and sexual references. Remember ignore the critics. They don't know stromboli from pie. I highly recommeded it
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Kid, 12 years old
July 10, 2010
AGE
what do you mean 'outdated'?
This is an awsome movie. And all the critics that say the movie is outdated can shut up for all i care! My brother (8) watched this and it didn't bother him at all. I highly recomend it and sat that this movie will never be outdated!
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Teen, 17 years old
April 3, 2009
AGE
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Parent of 15 year old
August 29, 2010
AGE
Ultra Corny and Ultra Fun!
FOOTLOOSE is a nostalgia joyride that takes the form of a 80s quasi-musical. It's a ton of fun to watch, especially with friends. I admit, some of it is just good to laugh at, but a lot of it is genuine entertainment that has you smiling and tapping your feet.
The whole plot of the movie is about teenage rebellion against authoritative figures, so if you think your kids will be inspired negatively by that, for sure don't let them watch. However, for mature pre-teens and teenagers, this movie is a lot of fun. There is some questionable content. Teenagers smoke (both cigarettes and weed), drink, and do dangerous stunts with their cars without any apparent consequences. The drugs are a big problem in the movie. Although a teen with marijuana is portrayed as a negative role model, the main protagonists of the film drink and smoke, and are praised for being rebels when they do so. Make sure your kids are mature enough to know that this is wrong. In addition to that, there is some brief non-sexual nudity (naked guys are seen in a locker room from the back and side), and some talk is made of how the pastor's daughter is promiscuous (she is seen putting boots back on after sex with her boyfriend). The same girl tells her father that she's not a virgin, and he uses words like "fornication" to describe sexual behavior. There is some suggestive dancing, but nothing major. There is constant teenage language like "s**t" and "d**n", but it's nothing that your kids aren't exposed to in school. A teenage girl is beaten up by her boyfriend (we see her with a black eye and cuts on her face), and two boys play chicken with tractors.
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
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.
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Teen, 13 years old
October 19, 2011
AGE
Cut loose with Footloose!
This is a really good movie above dancing and Having fun.. There is some sexual refs. And some language and violence. theres only one kiss throughout the movie.. I defiantly recommend this to everyone 11^:)
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Teen, 15 years old
April 11, 2009
AGE
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AGE
The Foot Ain't That Loose
"Footloose" has the potential to be great, and it's not that it fails entirely, it's okay, good at points but overall pretty forgettable. The dancing isn't anything to cheer about, but it certainly is still entertaining, though I wish their was just more of it. The only dance scene in the whole film that actually delivers as fully as possible is Ren's angry dance scene. But other than that scene the rest of the dance numbers are okay, just like the rest of the production. So really "Footloose" is not all that it's believed to be.
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| Topics: | arts and dance, friendship, high school |
| Studio: | Paramount Pictures |
| Director: | Herbert Ross |
| Cast: | John Lithgow, Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 107 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | January 1, 1984 |
| DVD release date: | July 23, 2003 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | mature themes. |
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