The film is a remake of the ’80s-era musical drama.

    A city boy from Boston arrives in a small town in the South to discover a group of teenagers living under the thumb of* fearful elders who have partially succeeded in turning back the clock to 1953.

    It is not just religious repression* that drives the restrictions that go beyond drink and drugs to banning public dancing and placing a curfew* on teens.

    Three years earlier, the preacher’s son was driving when he and four classmates were killed in a crash* returning from a late-night party. Since then, the town of Bomont has been playing it safe under the spiritual guidance of the sanctimonious* pastor* Moore, whose wife stands by quietly but whose daughter Ariel cats around with bad boy racing driver Chuck.

    Although his haircut looks like that of a 1950s rocker, he has the attitude of James Dean and his Boston accent rubs locals the wrong way*. Ren MacCormack, who has just lost his mother, arrives at the home of his uncle and aunt who try to do good. But he represents a threat to many, from the police, who try to pin everything on him they can, to Chuck and the pastor, who separately suspect the stranger’s intentions* toward Ariel, when she is actually being aggressive*.

    Surprised by the power of the puritans*, MacCormack even asks, “Whatever happened to the separation of church and state?” He also has good gymnastic and dancing skills, which he shows at a brief, illicit* gathering at a rural snack bar. Not just Kenny Wormald, the actor for MacCormack, but all the others are good dancers. Wormald is a former backup dancer for Justin Timberlake. His appeal grows throughout the film. However, the dance numbers and sequences are arranged poorly.

    A climactic* clash between MacCormack’s pals and Chuck’s crew looking to disrupt the dance is presented badly.

    Acting as MacCormack’s goofy* new friend, Miles Teller scores both as comic relief and a reluctant dancer, while two-time “Dancing With the Stars” champ and country singer Julianne Hough reminds a bit of Jennifer Aniston with her pleasant, slightly puffy* face. (SD-Agencies)