'Footloose' takes another spin

THE GRITTY reimagining has become the tried-and-true method for making film remakes appear relevant. Watching these movies, you can almost hear the conversation between studio suits: "No one can say it's pointless if it's sadder! It worked for Batman, right?"

It did work for Batman, but that's because the Dark Knight was always, well, dark. "Footloose," on the other hand, is not "The Dark Knight."

Come on: This is a movie about dancing.

Craig Brewer, whose previous credits include the decidedly adult "Black Snake Moan" and "Hustle and Flow," takes the helm of the new "Footloose" that follows the basic plot of the Kevin Bacon 1984 original: Ren McCormack (newcomer Kenny Wormald) moves to small town of Bomont, Texas. To his chagrin he learns that dancing has been outlawed by the powers that be, led by mean ol' Rev. Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid in the John Lithgow role), so Ren decides to fight the system. In the process, Ren falls for the comely Ariel ("Dancing with the Stars' " Julianne Hough), who happens to be Moore's daughter.

Megafans of the original will even recognize familiar costume pieces, such as Ariel's fire-engine-red cowboy boots (her daddy still hates them) and Ren's maroon suit for the finale. Even much of the soundtrack - the original's strength - stays the same, although updated with Blake Shelton replacing Kenny Loggins.

Brewer makes it clear from the opening scenes that this "Footloose" isn't the same slumber party fodder. In both films, dancing becomes forbidden after a group of teens - including Moore's prodigal son - are killed in a car accident after leaving a dance. In the original, these deaths are merely mentioned. In Brewer's version, you see the truck make contact.

Ren, too, is a decidedly sadder figure. Rather than moving down South with his mother, he's basically an orphan: His father abandoned him and his mother died after a prolonged illness.

Whoa. Bummer.

By no means is adding character depth a bad thing. The original, while classic, is comically thin and the added plot points add meat to otherwise cliché characters (the preacher's daughter-gone-bad trope, for example).

The 2011 version's young actors do well enough with the added demands, especially Hough, who is clearly trying her darndest to prove she's more than a charismatic dance partner. And Miles Teller brings humor as Ren's goofy, dance-challenged best friend Willard (played in the original by Chris Penn).

But upping the tragedy doesn't automatically add value, especially when the stakes are just putting on a dance in town. The original was about teenage rebellion being put to good use. But in Brewer's version, the central problem seems quaint in light of all the added grit.

But some things never change: The best part of "Footloose" is the dancing.

Produced by Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Neil Meron, Dylan Sellers, Brad Weston and Craig Zadan, directed by Craig Brewer, written by Craig Brewer and Dean Pitchford, music by Deborah Lurie, distributed by Paramount Pictures.