Footloose (1984)

Footloose is a 1984 American musical drama film directed by Herbert Ross. It tells the story of Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), a teenager from Chicago who moves to a small town, where he attempts to overturn the ban on dancing instituted by the efforts of a local minister (John Lithgow).

Plot
Moving in from Chicago, newcomer Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) is in shock when he discovers the small Midwestern town he now calls home has made dancing and rock music illegal. As he struggles to fit in, Ren faces an uphill battle to change things. With the help of his new friend, Willard Hewitt (Christopher Penn), and defiant teen Ariel Moore (Lori Singer), he might loosen up this conservative town. But Ariel's influential father, Reverend Shaw Moore (John Lithgow), stands in the way.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The premise of music and dancing being banned in small town is very original.
 * 2) Awesome performance of Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, Dianne Wiest and John Lithgow.
 * 3) The musical numbers are really fun and enjoyable for the most part, like "Footloose", "Holding Out for a Hero", and "Dancing in the Sheets".
 * 4) *"Holding Out for a Hero" is really epic and excellent song, it became so popular that it became Bonnie Tyler's signature song, aside from "Total Eclipse of the Heart", and has since been used in tons of other films, shows and games as well, such as Shrek 2, mh:awesomegames:Saints Row: The Third, etc.
 * 5) Good directing by Herbert Ross.
 * 6) Likable and entertaining characters, such as Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), Willard Hewitt (Christopher Penn), and defiant teen Ariel Moore (Lori Singer), who has nice chemistry.
 * 7) The dialogue can be really enjoyable and creative.

Reception
Footloose received mixed reception from critics, however it received very positive reviews from audiences and gained a cult following. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 52% based on 42 reviews, with an average rating of 5.77/10. The consensus reads, "There's not much dancing, but what's there is great. The rest of the time, Footloose is a nice hunk of trashy teenage cheese.". On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 42 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".