Celebrating 40 Years of Footloose

On the February 16, 2024 episode of /Film Daily, /Film editor Ben Pearson is joined by /Film editor BJ Colangelo to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Footloose.Opening Banter: Quick admin note: We will not have an episode on Monday, because it’s Presidents Day.In Our Feature Presentation: FootlooseWhat’s your relationship to this movie?Ben just watched it for the first timeRidiculousness of the premisePreacher holds the town in an iron grip post-accidentJohn Lithgow ends up relenting and allowing the dance to happen because he’s dressed down by his wife when she gives him that speech in the empty church, but if this were to happen today, he would never relent because people like that have no shame anymore and are so dug in that they would never admit they made a mistakeWhat do you think about the actual dancing here?Kevin Bacon, movie starWhat this movie meant to Bacon’s careerHe was previously in Animal House, Friday the 13th, and DinerSupporting castHave you ever seen the remake?Listener email: Brayden from Fort Worth, Texas writes: It seems all roads are leading to Madame Web being a critical and financial failure, which I think is unfortunate for many reasons, chief among them how it’ll affect S.J. Clarkson’s career. This is Clarkson’s second feature after 2010’s Toast, and I wonder if Madame Web will put her in the halls of “director jail.” [...] There’s a pattern in Hollywood: Cathy Yan directed Birds of Prey in 2020 to critical success but not financial, and has only directed an episode of Succession since. Patty Jenkins directed Wonder Woman 1984 in 2020 to mixed results critically and financially, although the pandemic was certainly a factor. Her announced movie Rogue Squadron seems less and less likely to happen. Chloe Zhao directed Eternals in 2021 to mixed results [...] Ultimately, my question is why does it seem like female blockbuster directors only get one shot, and if they miss, that’s it? I know Hollywood is a business and all that, but the discrepancy between male directors getting second chances seems way higher than female directors. I guess this isn’t breaking news, but more of the same, unfortunately. I think everyone deserves a second chance. Anyway, sorry for the long email. Love the pod and am wishing you and the /Film crew well.The Guardian: How today’s female directors broke out of ‘movie jail’Stylist: Why isn’t the director of Clueless a bigger Hollywood success story?Progress? What progress? Inclusion in Hollywood is limited and lackingAll the other stuff you need to know:You can find more about all the stories we mentioned on today’s show at slashfilm.com, and linked inside the show notes./Film Daily is published every weekday, bringing you the most exciting news from the world of movies and TV as well as deeper dives into the great features from slashfilm.com. You can subscribe to /Film Daily on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Please subscribe to our newsletter!Send your feedback, questions, comments, concerns, and mailbag topics to us at [email protected]. Please leave your name and general geographic location in case we mention your e-mail on the air.Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify - that helps us out a lot. And tell your friends about the show! Thanks to Sam Hume for our logo.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy