After a night of partying, an intoxicated Bobby Moore and his friends are killed when their car collides head-on with a truck on a bridge on their way home to the town of Bomont, Georgia.
Three years later, Boston-raised teenager Ren McCormack moves to Bomont to live with his uncle Wes Warnicker, his aunt Lulu, and cousins Sarah and Amy after his mother's death from leukemia and his father's desertion.
On his first day at Bomont High School, Ren becomes friends with fellow seniors Willard Hewitt and Woody, who explain the ban on dancing.
He is attracted to Reverend Moore's rebellious daughter Ariel, who is secretly dating dirt-track driver Chuck Cranston.
She then reveals that she lost her virginity, to which Shaw begs for her to not say that in the church, and Ariel sarcastically asks him if he will pass another law, as it did not stop her and Chuck from having sex.
Shaw abruptly slaps her without warning, shocking his wife Vi and prompting Ariel to tearfully and angrily criticize his domineering ways and storm out.
As part of his statement, he reads several Bible verses given to him by Ariel, which describe that even in ancient times people would dance to rejoice, exercise, celebrate, or worship.
Despite the City Council's refusal to abolish the anti-dancing ordinances, Ren's boss Andy Beamis offers his cotton mill, which is technically in the neighboring town of Bayson, as a site where the seniors can have their prom.
He states with quiet determination that even though the City Council refused the motion to abolish the law, they cannot stop the dance.
A few days before the prom, Reverend Moore unexpectedly asks his congregation to pray for the high school students putting on the event.
On prom night, not long after Ren and Ariel arrive, Chuck and several of his friends show up, intending to start trouble.
In October 2008, Kenny Ortega was announced as director but left the project a year later after differences with Paramount and the production budget.
[16] During an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Kevin Bacon said he declined a cameo appearance in the film as he did not like the role he was offered: Ren McCormack's deadbeat dad.
They sold clothing inspired by the film, such as women's red boots, denim, footwear and nail polish brands created by Vince Camuto and Steve Madden.
The website's consensus is: "While it hews closely to the 1984 original, Craig Brewer infuses his Footloose remake with toe-tapping energy and manages to keep the story fresh for a new generation.
Praising the performance of Wormald, she said he "handily owns the role for a new audience" and closed her review saying, "Guardians of the '80s flame will approve of the production's sincere respect for the original; church still matters, and so do Ariel's red cowboy boots.
But the compositions vary randomly between close-ups, awkward medium shots and general coverage that cuts together with no cumulative dynamic power.
[19] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film "doesn't have the emotional impact of the original, but it ups the energy level."
[48] The New York Times's A. O. Scott called the dance numbers "woefully inadequate" when compared with Glee, High School Musical and Step Up.
For Wormald's performance he said, "He has energy but no real magnetism, and while he may be in possession of what are technically known as 'moves', his dancing lacks sensuality and a sense of release."
He described the music in the remake as "better and more eclectic than the original, with some blues, country and vintage metal mixed in with the peppy dance tunes".