Every summer, Betsy and I choose an actor whose catalogue is at least as gloriously ridiculous as it is just plain glorious, and try to watch one of their movies every week. It began with SwayzeFest. Then came KeanuFest, (Jane) FondaFest, and CageMatch. This year, we make pancakes, scramble eggs, and fry up pork for BaconFest: a celebration of the majesty and inscrutability of Kevin Bacon. And I’ll provide a very brief review here.
If you’re celebrating Kevin Bacon you have to start with the tale of Ren McCormack and the town that outlaws dancing. I haven’t watched Footloose in probably 15 years, and it didn’t disappoint.
There’s plenty of the gloriously ridiculous. The game of chicken between two tractors. Teaching Willard how to dance. “Let’s Hear it For the Boy”. And the rest of the sweet, sweet ‘80s soundtrack.
I was pleasantly surprised and moved, though, by John Lithgow’s nuanced portrayal of the minister who leads the fight to keep dancing outlawed. I had forgotten the pain of losing a child–the misdirected but very real anger–that drives him. Honestly, it’s a film deserves some attention from religious communication scholars. How much healthier would it have been for Lithgow’s minister to direct his anger at God (who can take it) than at misguided attempts to outlaw dancing, or at his daughter. And then, finding himself trapped in a situation with a faction who wants to bring back a dance and a faction that is taking the puritanical theocratic impulse even further, banning books and firing science teachers. I shouldn’t be surprised at this point when Lithgow blows me away. He’s low-key one of the best actors of our lifetime.
That combination of Lithgow and the fun of Kevin Bacon made it a delight to revisit. I will also note, we decided to let our 9 year old daughter watch with us. I’m not entirely convinced it was the right decision—lots of profanity, lots of sex talk. But (1) we talked through things and we trust her, and (2) she absolutely loved it–especially the music and the dancing.
Overall review: 3.5/4 Stars
Bacon Grade (my measure of how gloriously Bacon the movie is; that is how well it captures the fun spirit of BaconFest): 10/10 Big Fat Strips of Bacon
AI Statement: All of the text contained in this post is original to me. An AI program (ChatGPT by OpenAI) was utilized for review and proofreading of this piece, and made some minor wording suggestions to improve the flow and clarity of the piece. Unfortunately, ChatGPT refused to watch Footloose with us, and we almost came to blows when it said it preferred the 2011 remake.
Footloose stands up over time with its music and dancing. The smaller roles, Sarah Jessica P, Sean Penn's little bro, Chris, the actress opposite Bacon, who went on to become a world-renowned cellist, all fabulous to see. But Lithgow could give you a festival on his own. I've been rewatching "The Crown", where he storms his way through Season 1 as Churchill. Compare that to his just-crawled-out-from-under-a-rock portrayal of Debra Winger's sidepiece in "Terms of Endearment."