Do we need a remake of Roadhouse?

A few weeks back I was talking to some of the Gen Y’s in my office, we were discussing classic movies and I mentioned the movie Roadhouse. I was shocked to learn that they had never seen or heard of this movie, I mean realistically what are they teaching in schools these days?

One of the team started Googling to find out more and then said, “Oh, they’re about to release a remake!” Initially, I thought that they meant they were re-releasing, the original with some deleted scenes, maybe some additional commentary talking about Patrick Swayze. Then they showed me the movie poster.

Straight away I recognized that distinctive neon lettering and the words “Roadhouse”. However, what I did not understand was why Jake Gyllenhaal was in the movie poster. Maybe this was just a bit of internet trolling. But a little bit more digging, and sure enough, they are re-making a Patrick Swayze classic.

The original Roadhouse came out in 1989, two years after Dirty Dancing (alright I’ve never seen Dirty Dancing, but that’s a conversation for another day). This movie helped cement Swayze's reputation as a dramatic and action star.

So here is my question. Do we need a remake of Roadhouse?

When I read the synopsis and watched the preview, there seems very little similarity between the original movie and whatever this new movie is. Could we not just call it something different?

How about we call it “The ex-MMA fighter who now works at a nightclub because he’s washed up and needs money”, I accept the title is a bit wordy, and I’m happy to workshop it further, but it still seems better than calling it Roadhouse.

It’s described as “a reimagining of the 1989 film of the same name” but can it be if the story is fundamentally different?

I know that many people are reading this who either never saw the original or thought it was a waste of time and money. But here's some insight on me, to pay my way through university, I worked as a bouncer. If nothing else, I learned the number one lesson from this movie, “be nice”. I never had cause to rip out someone’s throat, but I sure learned that 99% of the time you didn’t have to be a violent asshole, and that a greater skill to have in that industry was knowing how to talk to people.

It almost seems like the trend is to give a movie the same name as an old movie to capitalize on the success of the old movie. Do you remember the “remake” of Ocean’s 11? It went on to spawn several sequels. Ironically, if you Google “Ocean’s 11”, the first entry to pop up is the 2001 film, not the 1960 film, which probably shows how much more popular the 2001 version is.

But again, here’s my issue. In the 1960 version of Ocean’s 11, with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr, they didn’t get the money in the end. So how can you remake a movie if the ending is a completely alternate outcome?

Now, to clarify, I a completely down with the concept of sequels. I’ve watched all the Rocky, Creed, and Rambo films. I am a Star Wars fanatic through and through. But these movies occur in the same universe, they follow on and acknowledge the previous storytelling.

I also accept that people will draw inspiration from other films, it’s natural, plenty of artists do that. But George Lucas didn’t call his sci-fi masterpiece Flash Gordon (partially because he couldn’t secure the rights), or The Hidden Fortress. The characters were different, and although you can often draw similarities, there were elements that Lucas imagined himself.

Now before you think I’ve got the grumps all together and this is just an old man rant, I’m perfectly comfortable with a spoof. Take the 2004, Starsky and Hutch. This wasn’t a serious remake of the 1970s TV series, it was a comedy, and it was billed as such from the get-go.

I saw this morning that they are releasing a new movie titled “The Fall Guy” starring Ryan Gosling. As a kid, Lee Majors as Colt Seavers was my hero, and not just because he had one of the coolest jacked-up pickup trucks on the planet. I have just watched the preview and I fear that this may be a spoof, but not billed as a spoof.

Fresh off his success as Ken in the Barbie movie, maybe Gosling’s confidence in his ability to play this role is a little over-inflated. Much like how Jake Gyllenhaal could never replace Patrick Swayze, Ryan Gosling could never replace Lee Majors.

Where are we going to draw the line at remakes? Will it be ok to remake Gone with the Wind? How about The Maltese Falcon or Casablanca? To me, it just seems that some roles can only be attributed to one actor, and maybe writers and studios need to place more faith in the weight of their story, instead of relying on the success of an actor's or writer's previous work.

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