Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

pointyfilippa The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

mcjamieg-01938 Dirty dancing is about a young woman called baby who ends up falling for a dancer (patrick swayze) who is a rouge dance teacher with a attitude which brings them both together in a whirlwind mismatched movie with a killer sound track grab your watermellon and your dance shoes for this one

lmogen This movie contains one of the BEST love scenes ever filmed. You have to have veins of ice if the cabana/dance/love scene between Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray doesn't make your heart race a little. The only other movie I can think of right now with a scene that can move me as much is maybe the elevator kiss scene in Drive. Both just beautifully filmed, staged, choreographed, put to music and delivered.And yes, while this movie is somewhat 'cheesy' in places, there is no denying that is played a huge part in American cinema. The Penny story line, the young love, the family situation, all hot topics the year this was filmed.Lastly, the soundtrack is amazing. Not ONE of these songs feels out of place or superfluous. Just perfect. If I could give it a rating of 20, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Movie_Muse_Reviews "Dirty Dancing" is a quintessential '80s movie, yet it takes place in the early 1960s during the waning years of the age of idealism, just before taking family trips to a resort in the Catskill Mountains was out of fashion. That imbues this summer romance movie with two layers of nostalgia, especially 30 years after its release, and it's nostalgia that by and large carries this film for those who love it, with one exception.The film follows 17-year-old Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) on her family trip to Kellerman's resort in the summer of 1963. Presumably no longer entertained by line dancing and the full array of family activities, Baby noses into what the resort staff are up to, which is where she sees Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) a dance performer and instructor. Since Johnny and the other dancers have to be on their best behavior and cater to the guests all day, at night they express themselves by having steamy, sensual dance parties. Baby, as proper a good girl as she may be, is helplessly drawn into their world (and Johnny's arms).That's the story … the plot is that Baby discovers Johnny's dance partner, Penny (Cynthia Rhodes) is pregnant after hooking up with a waiter at the resort and Baby helps her get money for a (then very illegal) abortion, the timing of which would leave Johnny in need of a dance partner, an opening Baby volunteers to fill. So there's a reason most people forget what actually happens in "Dirty Dancing," which was scandalous for 1987 let alone 1963. The reason they can so easily forget is because it's really a movie about Baby. Her awakening from ideal daughter of a well-to-do family about to go to college and join the peace corps to a risk-taker and rule-defier who in the span of a week falls for a sensitive hunk is a classic fantasy. Baby is not your typical damsel in distress protagonist. She's got a good head on her shoulders. But she's curious. She's never let herself go. A lot of people can identify with that, or remember summer nights when they too wanted to indulge that fantasy.Baby being a character who so many people can see themselves as is the one strength of "Dirty Dancing" that isn't the choreography, director Emile Ardolino's sensual approach or the amazing soundtrack. The other characters and the scenarios are half-baked, awkward or laughable. That said, tearing into a film as beloved as this one has no real value.There does, however, feel like a missed opportunity. Writer Eleanor Bergstein undoubtedly drew from her own experience in telling this story, which is why the nostalgia factor is so effective. The premise alone evokes all those summer vacation emotions, meaning the right story would really connect. The problem is she doesn't capitalize. There's absolutely no logic at the basis of anything that happens or the way Baby and Johnny's relationship develops. You could argue that summer flings happen in this magical, ephemeral sort of way, but Bergstein undercooks all the scenes and Ardolino takes a largely serious approach. All the movie's best moments are when the characters let loose and act a little silly, when the script fades away to moments between Baby and Johnny in which Grey and Swayze just get to focus on chemistry. Other than repeating what "Footloose" already told '80s audiences about everyone needing to just "cut loose," "Dirty Dancing" doesn't have anything to say. It opts to keep a rosy romantic bubble all the way to the credits and serve as a reminder of a certain time in American history; Mr. Kellerman's line at the end about the Catskill resort culture disappearing reveals Bergstein's true goal of simply remembering it. The truth is "Dirty Dancing" is about the 1960s, but it has the spirit and soul of an '80s movie; it's not a period piece but a recollection of one time period from the perspective of another.Trying to be as objective as possible, "Dirty Dancing" is a stupid movie, but one steeped in nostalgia with a respectable main character and an alluring style. Somehow, against anyone's better judgment, these components manage to create moments of resonance at a universal, multi-generational level, to the point that you can't simply write it off.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more

oOoBarracuda Add this to the file of films I didn't think I would like nearly as much as I did. Wow, I couldn't have been more wrong Dirty Dancing. Emile Ardolino directed the 1987 classic starring Jennifer Grey and the late Patrick Swayze. The film centered around a sheltered daughter and the life-changing summer her family spends at the Catskills resort in 1963. What I had written off as "just another '80's romance" was actually a wonderful coming-of-age story of a girl discovering how the world exists outside of her privileged upbringing.Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) a daddy's girl from a privileged family has already surprised her family by announcing that she is to join the Peace Corps at the end of the summer. She had been expected to go college and marry a doctor, the same profession as her father and establish a financially secure life for herself. One night, however, a chance meeting changes her destiny. All baby thought she was doing was carrying a watermelon to a staff dance party when she first lays eyes on Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) the chiseled dance instructor of the resort. Johny knows no privilege, and unlike Baby, has had to struggle his whole life. His life is nearing a downward spiral since his dance partner has become pregnant and unable to get the money or the healthcare access to an abortion. Wanting to help a distressed woman and find a way into Johnny's heart, Baby lies to her father about the purpose and is given the money Johnny's dance partner uses to obtain her abortion. She then fills in as Johnny's dance partner in order to save his spot on the roster. As the two spend more and more hours together they fall in love and Baby is stuck between her family's expectations and her own romantic interests. As her father begins to find out what Baby has been up to and how he has been used in the scheme, her relationships with everyone are tested and she must decide how to mend them, and which to attempt to save first.Dirty Dancing begins with an opening narration, and I am an absolute sucker for a well-executed narration. The narration was used well and effective in providing a bit of background info into the background Baby had enjoyed all of her life. Throughout the film, it felt a bit like I was watching Double Indemnity with all the Baby's, so I only wish Baby had earned a different nickname; although, I suppose the iconic line "Nobody puts sweetie in a corner" would have had the same effect. The dancing was engaging, and not as annoying of a storyline as I presumed it would be. I thought it was going to be a tired "spends a lot of time together so they fall in love" kind of romances, but the added layers of the upbringing struggles was an engaging aspect. Patrick Swayze's performance was riveting, I haven't seen much, if any, of his acting roles so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised with both his acting and dancing skills. Jennifer Grey nailed the dancing angle but came off a bit wooden throughout her non-dancing scenes. The supporting cast was wonderful, as well; I mean, has Jerry Orbach ever been less than stellar in a role he has taken on? Dirty Dancing proved my expectation of "just another 80's romance" wrong, I can assure you of that as I stand in line at Target waiting to buy a copy of the film.