Parents' Guide to

Footloose (1984)

By Randy White, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

A dated rebellion tale.

Movie PG 1984 107 minutes
Footloose (1984) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 14+

Based on 13 parent reviews

gunnydlc
gunnydlc Parent of 9, 11 and 13-year-old
April 1, 2013
age 18+

I liked it but it's not for impressionable young teens.

I think it's a really good movie but the the suggestion of casual premarital teenage sex is not something I'd like my child as thinking it's something normal.

This title has:

Too much sex
2 people found this helpful.
Rochya H.
Rochya H. Adult
January 3, 2021
age 11+

Dont ignore the kid reviews with this one

This one you should not ignore the kid reviews that way you can see what flies over their heads. This may only be PG but it's worse than most PG13 movies my kids have seen. There is masturbation (but like 2 in 3 kids do masturbate) and two teens getting dressed after they have had sex. We also see bare butts so... let's just say for tweens and up only.

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 13 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In FOOTLOOSE, 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?

Our review:
Parents say (13):
Kids say (30):

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loved Footloose and its music, but today's teens might be bored with the contrived plot, cookie cutter characters, and outdated music.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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how we stand up for our values. How do the characters stand up for their values in Footloose?

  • What would you have done in Ren's shoes?

  • How do you relate to authority figures similar to the one portrayed by John Lithgow?

Movie Details

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