Footloose
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: October 14, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
18
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumOct 5, 2011
Stepping into sacred shoes once worn by Kevin Bacon, Wormald handily owns the role for a new audience. Same goes for a terrific Miles Teller (Rabbit Hole) in the sidekick role of Willard so memorably originated by the late Chris Penn. Read full review
90
MovielineStephanie ZacharekOct 13, 2011
Brewer, who spent most of his childhood in Memphis, is one of the few contemporary filmmakers I know of who can make movies about the South without sentimentalizing it, glorifying it or looking down on it. Read full review
83
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallOct 12, 2011
Wormald won't make anyone forget Bacon, but he dances better, and without a stand-in. Hough's dance ability is well-known, but she also displays flashes of acting skill. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle SmithOct 14, 2011
Footloose won me over early, with a sequence in which the hero gets all heavy metal while restoring his badass ... VW Bug. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleOct 13, 2011
The new Footloose does everything it needs to do. It's a vibrant youth musical that will appeal to audiences who haven't seen the 1984 original. And it has enough charm and life to it to compete with the memory of the earlier version. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianShawn LevyOct 13, 2011
It hardly needs to hang its head around the original, and it bolsters Brewer's standing as a talent of note. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenOct 13, 2011
Finally, along comes a remake – a darn faithful one, too – that's not a just a pointless rehash or mindless retread. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubNathan RabinOct 12, 2011
Brewer's Footloose has sex, swagger, and even an edge of danger, but in the end, he's hamstrung by the project's innate ridiculousness. Read full review
63
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottOct 14, 2011
Plotwise, though, Brewer's Footloose is anything but loose. In fact, it's rigidly loyal to the original, to the point of slavishness. Read full review
63
Washington PostAnn HornadayOct 13, 2011
Footloose never needed to be dragged into the 21st century, but Brewer has made it look and sound a little bit more like the real world. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley MorrisOct 13, 2011
This remake does something less organically fun. It makes kids nostalgic for something they never experienced. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaOct 13, 2011
As remakes go, Footloose is fine, serving up slightly fresher batches of cheese and corn. But why? Why? Read full review
63
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezOct 13, 2011
The result is that rare breed of big-studio pictures: A remake that makes sense. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineR. Kurt OsenlundOct 12, 2011
If the Footloose remake had its own signature dance, it'd be called the Push-Pull, as this hip-to-be-sorta-square movie, much like the small-town teens within it, has a mind for propelling itself toward a progressive future while continually being yanked back by cherished hallmarks of the past. Read full review
63
Orlando SentinelRoger MooreOct 12, 2011
Brewer gave the film a little Southern hip hop, and brought in real Southerners Quaid, Andie MacDowell and Ray McKinnon to further Southernize it. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliOct 11, 2011
When the characters in Footloose are dancing and the music is blaring, the film comes alive. It has energy and personality. Would that the same could be said about the dramatic scenes, which are hamstrung by a combination of mediocre acting and atrocious dialogue. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranOct 13, 2011
Stays remarkably close to its predecessor in all the ways that count. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanOct 13, 2011
Oddly, Craig Brewer has softened the tone for his remake. But nearly everything else remains intact, and -- surprisingly -- that's just enough to win us over. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzOct 12, 2011
This Footloose it's a pleasant reminder of the past for fans of the first one, and an agreeable-enough experience for everyone else. Read full review
60
Time OutDavid FearOct 11, 2011
Suffering through flatlining romantic and dramatic interludes isn't any less painful now than it was in '84, but when this musical occasionally kicks off its Sunday shoes, the dynamic memory-lane trip actually approaches - Kevin help us! - something resembling genuine fun. Read full review
60
Village VoiceKarina LongworthOct 11, 2011
Nothing in Footloose comes close, in this respect, to the best moments of Brewer's previous, vibrant if uneven films "Hustle & Flow" and "Black Snake Moan," but this heartfelt retread of a notably thin popcorn property does come alive during an illicit dance-off. Read full review
60
EmpireJames WhiteOct 10, 2011
There have been far, far worse remakes out there. Harmless, feel-good fun. Read full review
60
Boxoffice MagazineTodd GilchristOct 5, 2011
From start to finish, Brewer's remake exudes the look and style of its forebearers: semi-awkward dance choreography, clunky dialogue and an obedience to formula that borders on cliché. But somehow, it works. Read full review
60
VarietyRob NelsonOct 2, 2011
Paramount's Footloose reboot never quite cuts loose enough to distinguish itself from the original. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerOct 14, 2011
This same premise holds for the remake, and it seems more pandering (and dated) than ever. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie PunterOct 13, 2011
While dance sequences are not particularly well edited compared to the new breed of dance flick, Wormald and Hough are exciting hoofers to watch. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia PuigOct 13, 2011
Silly as it was, the first movie had a more innocent and campy spirit than this calculated, if faithful, redo. Read full review
50
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsOct 13, 2011
Footloose poses as a bold update, but it's shockingly out of step with the times. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. ScottOct 13, 2011
Somehow Footloose never finds its rhythm. The maudlin scenes drag on, and the livelier moments pass by too quickly. It only works when it settles down and lets the characters (and the audience) hang out and have a little fun. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter TraversOct 13, 2011
Footloose 2011 is harmless as far as it goes, but on the dance floor and off it never goes nearly far enough. Read full review
50
TimeRichard CorlissOct 13, 2011
Brewer must have convinced himself that a schlocky old movie would speak eloquently to today's teens. About half of the time, he pulls it off. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderSam WorleyOct 13, 2011
The movie plays like a slightly degraded version of the original: the dialogue is a little lamer, the acting a little poorer. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsOct 13, 2011
The result is a film that feels hidebound. And nobody ever called a dance-driven movie "hidebound." Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyOct 12, 2011
The new film may also serve a purpose by showcasing a dynamic and attractive new actor, Kenny Wormald but, otherwise, this is a by-the-numbers affair. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertOct 12, 2011
This new Footloose is a film without wit, humor or purpose. Read full review
More From This Movie

58 Critic Reviews

6.1 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL