1987
Cast- Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach
Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman is visiting Kellerman’s resort in the Catskills with her family before she heads off to college in the fall. Always the good girl who wants to make the world a better place she is struck by the lust bug when she sees sexy Johnny Castle doing the dirty dance. She helps his childhood friend and by doing that is able to be close to Johnny. As a dance instructor at the resort the older Johnny knows he shouldn’t get involved with Baby, but some things are just meant to be.
Why I love it- Where to start? Thanks to Netflix streaming I was able to watch this for free this week and was amazed that I could have forgotten how good it was. I always think of it as one of the core 1980’s movies of my teen years, but watching it again after so many years made me fall in love with this romance all over again.
Let’s start with Baby. I think any teenage girl will see at least some part of themself in Baby. She is awkward, insecure, and at 17 wants to grown up already. She also exudes this idealism and goodness that appeals to me. She made Johnny want to be a better person and isn’t that what we all want our significant others to think? Jennifer Grey somehow pulls off a 17 year old to perfection, although she was 27 at the time.
Next is Johnny, who, let’s face it, is the romantic bad boy that we all secretly hoped we could snag and keep when we were teens. We would be the only one who saw the real man inside, the good person he was (okay, maybe I’m projecting here). Somehow this older guy who had ‘had many women’ fell under Baby’s spell and still managed to maintain his rough edges. I mean, c’mon, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner” made every girl fall in love. I loved Patrick Swayze in this role.
So, it was a love story, but it was also about being your best self and not judging other people. And the soundtrack is one that takes me back every time. I always gets a little teary at the last song ‘Time of Your Life’ and this week was no different. Don’t ask me why. As for the dancing, it was like watching Dancing with the Stars, only less sparkly and with more heat.
The story, the acting, the music, the dancing all make this a great movie and one that I should watch more that every ten years or so. There were so many clips to choose from, but I went with Patrick Swayze singing She’s Like the Wind with clips from the movie. He was so talented.
Oh, I love this movie. You described so many good things about it, Stacy. I always wanted to know what came next. And I miss Patrick Swayze. I admired his commitment to his wife through the years. I can’t dance and oh, the dancing. LOL
OK, now I need to watch it again!
I always wanted to know what happened after too! Did Baby and Johnny find a way to stay together or was it a beautiful moment in time? Still not sure.
Our son went to college 8 hours away from home. When we dropped him off, we had to spend the night in a hotel there. When we got to our room, it was like we had just come home from a funeral – we were both so sad and felt like crying. The only thing on TV that night was this movie and we sat in bed and watched it. I’ll never watch this movie again without thinking of that night.
Isn’t it funny how a movie or a song can immediately take us back to the moment we first experienced it? I remember when I first saw it at the theater with my best friend in high school.
I love this movie! I absolutely agree with your thoughts about this movie, Stacy.
I can never get bored of this movie.
I’m was so happy to watch it again.
I totally love this movie. I watch it every time it’s on television! Thanks for posting the great clip!
Now that we have a baby & a dvr I don’t flip channels anymore so I never catch it by accident 😦
One of my favorites ever! I miss Patrick..what a man he was and dancer…he was fantastic!!
He was awesome in this movie.
Oh, LOVE…. 🙂 Looooove this movie! A true classic.
It’s nice to see so many ladies loving this one!
My parents forbade me to see this movie and so I had to wait until it came out on VHS and I watched it during a sleepover in my friend’s house.
Ah, yes. I still have a few VHS videos around here 🙂
My daughter thought Jennifer Grey was the greatest thing on Dancing with the Stars, so I let her watch part of Dirty Dancing. She loved it. Now we’ve got to watch the whole thing.
It really IS an awesome movie. It captured the era so beautifully.
SOmehow I forgot to mention the era in the review 😦 Thank you for mentioning it, Susan!
This is one of my favourite’s too, so much so that I bought it on DVD, now I can watch it whenever the mood takes me! Love, love, love the dancing 🙂
Makes me want to get up and move!
I never thought Patrick Swayze was all that hot – except for in this role. GOD – I totally wanted to be Baby! Still do. Andy knows to just walk away when this comes on because I will be magnetized for a few hours and then have utterly unrealistic romantic expectations for the rest of the day ;0)
LOL!!! I am so with you, blog sister. This is the only role I thought he was sexy in (yes I saw Ghost but it’s not a favorite) and I totally have unrealistic expectations after watching it 🙂
Always a great movie to watch! Bewteen the actors, their characters, and the dancing, it is fabulous!