Okay, let’s get this straight right now; I liked this movie.  No seriously, I did.  Had a great time, laughed out loud, bounced in my seat.  And I’m not ashamed.  In a world where someone can come along, remake a movie that never needed to be remade…and actually do it justice?  Well then, there’s enough room for both films in that happy, shiny world.  Anybody thinking the director of Hustle and Flow would grab the wheel of this remake and cock it up has another thing coming.  A fun, bouncy, dance-y thing.

Even if you’ve never seen the original Footloose (and if you haven’t, shame on you) knows the story; city boy moves to a small town in the country where popular music and dancing is strictly verboten.  City boy shakes things up, teaches his new clodhopper bff how to dance, and, of course, city boy gets the girl.  In the original, the kickass soundtrack and a young Kevin Bacon turned a teen movie into a sensation that plays well to this day.  So why shell out your hard-earned at the multiplex for this remake?  Because it’s managed to tap into the joy and excitement of being young, rowdy  and ready for anything.  Even folks who haven’t seen their teen years in decades can get caught up in the fun when the music starts.

Kenny Wormald plays Kevin Bacon, er, Ren MacCormack (they added an a in Ren’s last name, guess they had to buy a vowel) and no, he’s no Kevin Bacon.  His Boston accent comes and goes like rain and he doesn’t have the magnetism Bacon had in the role.  But Wormald doesn’t have to be great; this movie is less about Ren’s fight for the right to par-tay and more about the cast gettin’ down.  Plus, he’s got real chemistry with his co-star, and that goes miles toward making this movie cool.  Dancing With The Stars’ Julianne Hough (looking much better as a brunette) plays preacher’s daughter/love interest Ariel Moore, all hip bones and cleavage, which is to say a high school boy’s wet dream.  She brings her dance A-game to the movie, and yeah she’s rockin’ the red boots.  I wanted those red boots when Lori Singer wore ‘em, and I want ‘em now.

There’s a lot of hat-tipping to the original Footloose, but it never gets in the way of enjoying the movie that’s right in front of you.  This isn’t a shot-for-shot remake like Van Sant’s Psycho, but fans of the original will definitely notice some similarities.  There’s the dancing-in-the-halls scene, the confetti, and of course the famous angry-dance in the warehouse that made Kevin Bacon a superstar in the original.  But there’s also bits of sweetness and originality here, and spins on the tried and true that make things look shiny and new.

If you sit back and enjoy this new Footloose on it’s own rather than trying to compare it to the original, you’ll find yourself having a good time.  Don’t be ashamed.  I’m not.