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: Footloose

• What’s your relationship to this movie?
• Ben just watched it for the first time
• Ridiculousness of the premise
• Preacher holds the town in an iron grip post-accident
• John 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 mistake

• What do you think about the actual dancing here?
• Kevin Bacon, movie star
• What this movie meant to Bacon’s career
• He was previously in Animal House, Friday the 13th, and Diner
• Supporting cast
• Have 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 lacking

All 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.
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