Written by Eleanor Bernstein
Directed by Emile Ardolino
Johnny: "Nobody puts Baby in the corner."
Every now and then, I decide to review something for this blog that has nothing to do with superheroes, time travel or horror and when I do, I make sure to pick something I know I'm going to like. For example, a romantic dance movie from 1987.
Not just any movie though, this one. A movie that many people my age would've seen in their childhoods and one that newer generations are also watching due to their parents loving this movie. Having watched it again recently, it's not hard to see why this movie has had an enduring legacy.
Set in the backdrop of the summer of 1963, a relatively well off family decide to vacation at Kellermans. The family in question being our protagonist, Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey), her somewhat superficial older sister, Lisa (Jane Bricker) and their parents, Jake (Jerry Orbach) and Marge (Kelly Bishop). For Baby, it's going to be quite the time.
Especially when Baby herself becomes enamoured with the dance crew and specifically its main instructor, Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). When Johnny's fellow dancer, Penny (Cynthia Rhodes) ended up not being able to dance in a competition, both Baby and Johnny found themselves getting closer to one another.
Throughout the movie, there's a rather spiky, almost antagonist dynamic between Johnny and Baby as issues of classes and age gaps come between the pair. Johnny being older, working class and having to fight for everything while Baby being younger and more privileged that Johnny. There's conflict but it also ended up drawing the two closer together.
Of course, there's opposition on every front. Baby's father doesn't approve of her relationship with Johnny while an obnoxious waiter named Robbie (Max Cantor) proved to be a thorn for both Johnny and Baby along with a disgruntled former conquest. However like all romance movies, you can tell how it ended.
The ending being a dance off where both Johnny and Baby publicly declared their feelings for one another in one of the most iconic movie sequences ever. Also to paraphrase the song involved, I had the time of my life watching this movie yet again.
- The director of this movie would go to direct Sister Act, which was more of a musical drama.
- A prequel called Havana Nights came out in 2004, a TV movie version was done in 2017 while a legacy sequel with Jennifer Grey will be released during the summer of 2025.
- Standout music: The entire soundtrack but the obvious highlights include Be My Baby, She's Like The Wind and of course, (I've Had) The Time Of My Life.
- Chronology: Summer 1963.
Dirty Dancing to this day remains an undisputed classic with brilliant performances from both Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze along with some brilliant dancing,a scintillating romance and one of the best soundtracks we've had from an eighties classic. Definitely worth watching.
Rating: 9 out of 10
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