Dirty Dancing
The summer of 1963 was a time of innocence. Martin Luther King Jr. was sharing his dream with our parents and grandparents. President John F. Kennedy was governing the country for only a few more months. The era of ballroom dancing encountered the new period of fast dancing. Everything was possible and exciting. Thus is the setting of Dirty Dancing, a film about an innocent girl's most memorable summer.
Jennifer Grey plays sweet and optimistic Frances "Baby" Houseman, a complete opposite of her character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The Houseman family is taking a vacation at Kellerman's, a resort in New York. One night, Baby is snooping around in the staff quarters and observes the young employees "dirty dancing." She sees Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) doing the Mambo with his usual dance partner, Penny; they work as dance instructors at the resort.
One night, Baby and Kellerman's grandson Neil are getting a snack. They see Penny hiding in the corner and crying profusely. Neil summons Johnny, and the truth comes out; Penny has a bun in the oven. Unfortunately, the only time a traveling doctor can perform the abortion is the night that Johnny and Penny are scheduled to do a show at another hotel. Baby agrees to cover Penny's spot in the show, despite Baby's lack of dancing skills. Johnny agrees to teach her how to dance, and the show is a success. What follows is a kindling romance between Baby and Johnny, despite the age difference and Dr. Houseman's disapproval.
Two components push Dancing above and beyond "typical romantic movie" status: the dancing and the music. Whether the characters are doing the Mambo or dirty dancing, they are moving to the music and from the heart. These kinds of moves create a direct contrast from ballroom dancing. Just watching the numerous dancing scenes sustains viewer interest.
With hits like "I've Had (the Time of My Life)," "Hungry Eyes," and "She's Like the Wind," this film's soundtrack ranks as one of the best in recent decades. The double-disk soundtrack contains great '60s songs that are also placed effectively in the film.
The scenes in which Johnny teaches Baby how to dance are my favorite parts of the movie. During the lessons, Johnny is impatient and even downright hostile to the young woman who is doing him a huge favor by taking Penny's place in the show. One time, Johnny asks her, "Are you trying to kill me?" Baby, pissed off at Johnny's ingratitude, yells back, "Yeah! I'm doing all this to save your ASS when all I wanna do is knock you on it!"
Dirty Dancing is a must-see for dancing- or romance-movie fans. When Baby defies the former man in her life (her father) to be with the new (Johnny), viewers remember the radical things they did for love. Anyone who has not done something wild and crazy for his or her significant other has not truly lived. Do yourself and your partner a favor and live today.
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Drink if you must. Beware: Drinking can lead to dirty dancing in the sheets.
This is the ultimate date flick.
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