Dirty Dancing [M]

Baby is the idealistic image of innocence: she’s 17 years old, wants to make the world a better place, and the only man in her life is her daddy. But that all changes when she goes on summer vacation with her parents and becomes mesmerised by the hotel’s dance instructor, Johnny: an amazingly talented and hansom dancer from the wrong side of the tracks. Despite the fact that he’s not at all the type of boy her father would approve of, Baby through a series of events, allows herself to become part of Johnny’s world and soon becomes his prize pupil in dance, life, and love. 

I have seen this movie twice before; once when I was about 10 and then again when I was in the middle of my teens. Maybe it was my natural want to dislike anything that everyone else loved, but for both of those prior viewings, Dirty Dancing did not thrill me in any way… Sorry ladies. But then watching it today, I rather liked it…I finally liked it. I still maintain that Patrick Swayze is not sexy. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy sneaking a few quick peeks of his irresistibly pert and gorgeous bum (namely because male dancers have the most beautiful bums; I do the same with Gene Kelly), but I still relish in the possible fact that I must be only girl in the world who can watch him in this movie and not want to go there. 

Baby is the idealistic image of innocence: she’s 17 years old, wants to make the world a better place, and the only man in her life is her daddy. But that all changes when she goes on summer vacation with her parents and becomes mesmerised by the hotel’s dance instructor, Johnny: an amazingly talented and hansom dancer from the wrong side of the tracks. Despite the fact that he’s not at all the type of boy her father would approve of, Baby through a series of events, allows herself to become part of Johnny’s world and soon becomes his prize pupil in dance, life, and love. 

The basic story of Dirty Dancing is another of these forbidden romance stories where a boy and girl from completely different worlds fall in love and try to overcome the odds against them, but what’s great about this particular story is that it isn’t just that. The central conflict really comes in the form of the two romantic leads facing and defying the fears within themselves as well as breaking down the walls that they themselves build. Not only is this a very charming and irresistible love story, it’s also a very touching movie about coming to terms with oneself and discovering what you can do and who you can be. What Dirty Dancing really is, is a really lovely romantic drama as well as touching coming-of-age movie. 

As with any dance movie, characters and little side dramas are all placed in the back seat whilst the dance sequences ride up front. The dancing in this movie is mesmerising and it does have to be said that when Patrick Swayze takes that stage, he has the power to captivate. I may not find him attractive or sexy, but I do admire him because he has such a presence and when he first comes into this movie, you do feel like Baby when she first sees him: fascinated, just primordially fascinated. 

Starring Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes, Jack Weston, Jane Brucker, Kelly Bishop, Lonny Price, Max Kantor, and Wayne Knight, Dirty Dancing is a really great movie that is a romantic classic any way you slice it. Filled with mesmerising and sensual dancing, drama, conflicts of all sorts, comedy, and a lovely romance, there is just something about this film that, for women anyway, makes it impossible not to love on some level. It’s always said that “the third time’s the charm” and that was definitely the case with this movie because, after having seen it no three times, I do love it.