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It was re-make week last Friday, with Hollywood revisiting the classic 1984 Kevin Bacon dance film "Footloose."

Footloose

Starring: Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Miles Teller, Andie MacDowell, Kim Dickens, and Ray McKinnon

Synopsis: There are some people that just don’t appreciate modern dancing, or any kind of dancing for that matter. They see it as a gateway to other undesirable behaviors. But it’s hard to see how that take on dancing could be prevalent in 2011. When “Footloose” debuted in 1984, it doubtless stretched some of the bounds of reality. The idea that a town would be so down on dancing as a gateway to lurid teen behavior that they would outlaw it seemed a little tough to swallow, but still sort of plausible. The same can’t be said in 2011. Putting aside that fact that it’s depressing that Hollywood continues to re-make old movies instead of generating new ones, the idea of the story of “Footloose” set in the modern era seems borderline preposterous. And it is. But the filmmakers make some lemonade with the lemons they’re dealt and deliver a movie that’s moderately entertaining. The characters are the same and the basic ideas and music as the same as the 1984 original. The new version of “Footloose” even includes the classic title track and Ren’s angry dance. But the whole story feels dated. It’s been 27 years since the original film came out, and given the way the boundaries of behavior have been pushed in society, this seems too quaint. But if you can get past the story, there are some things that are done well here. Director Craig Brewer (“Hustle & Flow,” “Black Snake Moan”) does a nice job with the dance sequences. There are some fun choreographed numbers and some cool moves that add to the entertainment value of the piece. Additionally, the movie attempts to inject steady doses of humor, creating likeable characters in Ren and his friend Willard (Miles Teller). Those things are enough to keep audiences entertained for a couple of hours, but not enough to overcome the film’s problems. I’ve already mentioned the lack of believability in the story, which hurts, but this film has other problems too. The acting isn’t great, and is sometimes wildly uneven. Hough’s character, though a good dancer, is fairly unlikeable and seems to be little more than a walking cliché. In addition, there as some amusing foibles with the film. The villain character — Chuck (Patrick John Flueger) is two-dimensional and Wormald can’t maintain his Boston accent throughout the film. At times it’s really thick and then at other times it just disappears. Additionally, the film is a little too long to have that little character arc and narrative. It’s basically a loosely constructed plot placed to string together elaborate dance sequences. The dance sequences are fun and entertaining, and Teller is great as comedic relief, but “Footloose” is far from a compelling film. It didn’t need to be remade, but if it was going to be remade it would have been nice if the filmmakers would have crafted a better film.

Rating: PG-13 for some teen drug and alcohol use, sexual content, violence and language.

Verdict: Two stars out of four.

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Friday, Oct. 21 — "Paranormal Activity 3," "The Three Musketeers," "Margin Call," "Red State," "Johnny English Reborn"

Friday, Oct. 28 — "In Time," "Anonymous," "Puss in Boots," "The Rum Diary"