Dirty Dancing Film Review

Director: Emile Bergstein

Producer: Linda Gottlieb

Running time: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre, Music, Romance, Drama

Budget: $6,000,000

Distributed by: Vestron Pictures

About the film

Dirty Dancing is a musical starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. The year is 1963 and Frances 'Baby' Houseman is going on holiday to Catstill Mountains with her sister, Lisa, and parents Jake and Marjorie. When Baby first sees dance teacher Johnny she develops a crush on him. One evening, she goes out for a walk and she gets chatting with his cousin, Billy. She helps him carry some watermelons up into the secret club where Johnny and a group of other people are 'dirty dancing.' The main club he teaches in specifically does ballroom dancing like the Samba.

When Baby discovers that Penny is pregnant by Robbie the waiter, she borrows $250 from her father for a termination, not informing him what the money is for. This is when Billy suggest that Baby steps in for the weekly dance performance. As she cannot dance, it is up to Johnny to teach her. At the start of the film, you can be quick to assume that Johnny isn't a very nice man. He's a bit of a jack the lad and the ladies love him. He's an excellent dancer, but as the movie progresses we see a different side to Johnny. He gets frustrated with his job and wants to be able to do the dancing he enjoys. We also see how Baby accepts him for who he is. Baby is fedup with the contests the resort is running and wants a bit of fun. So when she meets Johnny, the other dancers and has a chance to try a new way of dancing, she grabs it with both hands. The film takes us on a journey of love, laughter, self-discovery, tears and lots of singing and dancing.

Personally, I love this film. I don't know how many times I've watched it over the years, but I never tire from watching it. A group of people who are bored with the every day goings on in the holiday camp break away to have their own style of dancing and just have a bit of fun. Baby, clearly bored with the silly competitions and events, wants to be part of this. It doesn't take long to for her realise what she's missing. From the start we see how Johnny changes her from her wooden dance moves into a semi-professional dancer. She has her father, Jake, to deal with who has hopes of her going off to university and eventually going into a career that will help change the world. But as it becomes clear throughout the film, you can't always dictate which path your children are going to take in life.

There is a very touching scene in the film where Jake is sitting by the river deep in thought over the disappointment his daughter has caused, and Baby approaches him and tells him her thoughts on the way she has treated him, and how he has treated her.

There's something about this film I just love to watch again and again. The bad boy image of Johnny we see at the beginning is quickly abolished as we see his romance blossoming with Baby and the frustration he has with his job. And, of course, there's there's the music. You can't beat them old songs from the 60's, can you? There's a lot of classic tracks throughout the film that has me singing along and, quite frankly, wishing I was Baby!