Reception
The film received mixed reviews, currently holding a 57 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert called it "a seriously confused movie that tries to do three things, and does all of them badly." Dave Denby in New York rechristened the film "Schlockdance", writing: "Footloose may be a hit, but it's trash - high powered fodder for the teen market... The only person to come out of the film better off is the smooth-cheeked, pug-nosed Bacon, who gives a cocky but likeable Mr. Cool performance."
Jane Lamacraft reassessed the film for Sight and Sound's 'Forgotten pleasures of the multiplex' feature in 2010, writing "Nearly three decades on, Bacon's vest-clad set-piece dance in a flour mill looks cheesily 1980s, but the rest of Ross's drama wears its age well, real song-and-dance joy for the pre-Glee generation."
Despite critical reviews, the film grossed $80,035,403 domestically.
Read more about this topic: Footloose (1984 film)
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