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At first sight, you might mistake Footloose for just another teen rebellion movie, but Herbert Ross’ (Steel Magnolias) sensitive direction and committed performances from John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest help the film transcend its genre. The story about a town where dancing has been outlawed sounds ridiculous at first, but screenwriter Dean Pitchford and the cast treat the premise with disarming sincerity. It was a star-making vehicle for Kevin Bacon, who captures the “it” factor with his pixyish good looks and gymnastic grace. Perhaps the biggest star of the movie, however, is its groundbreaking soundtrack featuring hits like “Footloose”, “Almost Paradise”, “Let’s Hear it for the Boy”, “I Need a Hero”, “Dancing in the Sheets”, and more. It’s an amazing assembly of songs performed by an ecclectic group of artists. There’s an organic relationship between the songs and the story, made possible by an unusual approach I haven’t seen in any other pop-driven movie: the screenwriter was also the lyricist. With Chris Penn and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Oscar Nominations: Best Song (“Footloose,” “Let’s Hear it for the Boy”)