What can I say about Dirty Dancing? This was not an impulse buy. It was an on purpose buy. I bought this DVD because I wanted it. I'm not ashamed to say I unabashedly love this movie. I'm the type of person who is usually allergic to loving the things lots of other people love. Especially, lady romance movies. No, I like movies where stuff blows up, people get their heads eaten by monsters and usually yes, that is my thing... but I love Dirty Dancing. I will try to be as unbiased as I can but it will be a little difficult.
I was quite young, I think, the first time I saw Dirty Dancing. I loved it then. It must have been because of all the dancing and stuff because a whole load of that movie went right over my head. I can remember being perplexed when Watermelon guy said Penny was knocked up. 'Knocked up?' I thought, 'what the hell does that mean?' I ran through a few options in my head. She got in a fight? Nah, someone knocked on her door and then ran away before she answered? Nope. No idea. I chose to just dismiss it and focus on the bits I could understand. Baby liked Johnny, Baby's dad couldn't stand Johnny for some reason, eight year old me just assumed it was because he was poor. Where I'm from there a lot of people who seem pissed at other people for simply being poor.
However I've watched it again and again since then and each time I seem to find something new to enjoy. I think watching and enjoying it so young means the movie has a special place in my heart. Though I don't think the youth thing was the only factor because I also loved Cocoon when I was eight and having seen it since I have no idea why that was. I think I was wowed by all the old people smiling all the time. All the old people I knew hardly ever smiled. Dirty Dancing is just a good movie.
I'm probably not going to say anything about it that many many other people haven't already said. But I haven't read any of that and this will be my personal take on the movie. If that counts for anything.
It stars the late Patrick Swayze
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| I fricking love 'To Wong Foo... |
So. Before I started writing this I had watched the movie just over a year previously. Here's what I remembered before I rewatched it for the reveiw:
'Baby (Jennifer Grey) and her family are heading to an activities resort for the summer. It's the '50's and Baby wants to go to college and join the peacecore, like a good little liberal. This makes her daddy proud.
Her sister Lisa is shrill and annoying. On arriving at the Resort, Baby and her family, being quite well off, make the acquaintance of Mr Kellerman, the resorts owner. His creepy son Neil and Robbie, a waiter, who is Ivy league bound. Baby's dad immediately likes Robbie, because he is also from a nice family and has ambitions and shit. Lisa likes Robbie because she is shallow. But Robbie swears by Ayn Rand, so we immediately know he's a dick. They also spy Johnny (Patrick Swayze) the dance teacher, who is brutally hot, wears black wife beaters and is working class.
Baby sort of dates Neil but he is creepy and gross and thinks a story about how he stole some guys girlfriend because he had more money than the guy makes him look awesome.
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| Shudder... |
Baby is clearly repulsed by this man, though she doesn't say anything. She mostly just ditches him.
Baby also makes the acquaintance of a guy, who I remember was Johnny's cousin but I can't remember his name. I'm going to call him Watermelon guy.
Baby manages to snag herself an invite to the raucous (and clearly more fun) staff party by helping watermelon guy with his watermelons.
There, everybody is getting dooown. Baby, who really wants to get down too, bobs around off to the side. Johnny notices her and tries to teach how to move her hips. To varying levels of success.
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| ...awkward |
I had a hard time watching this scene. Not because I can relate. I know how to get down. But due to second hand embarrassment. My second hand embarrassment is so severe. There are some things I just can't watch because my insides curl up just thinking about it.
Anyhoo. Penny, Johnny's dance partner, is pregnant and needs money to pay some Doctor to get rid of it. Because this is the '50's and abortion is illegal. Baby offers to put up the cash. She gets this cash from her dad. Only problem is Penny and Johnny have a show the only day the abortionist can come and they're poor, so they really need the money. Baby says she''ll do it, no charge. Oh to be so flushed with cash you'll do things that require time and practice for free. Oh hold on, she gets to rub up against a hot older man. Never mind, I see where the payment is.
Penny and Johnny teach Baby their routine, in the sexiest way imaginable.
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| I mean... look at those abs |
Turns out Penny's abortionist was not as qualified as one would assume a backstreet abortionist should be and so he jacks Penny's shit right up. Baby gets her Doctor dad to save the day. Johnny claims responsibility for Penny. Which makes Baby's dad very very angry. But Johnny's not the father! Evil capitalist Robbie is and he couldn't give any fucks about any of it.
Baby's dad is now very disappointed that Baby would choose to associate which such miscreants and gives her the silent treatment. Baby like any woman with any sense, decides to shag Johnny's brains out.
So then there's an end of summer show. Lisa plans to screech her way through that. It's bloody awful. Seriously, listen.
Oh and some devious cougar who doesn't like the fact that Johnny isn't her gigolo anymore frames him for theft.
Of course he didn't do it. That was the night of the aforementioned shagging. Only Johnny's not supposed to be shagging guests, especially not barely legal ones. Baby comes clean to save Johnny's job but he gets fired anyway and Baby's dad slut shames her with his eyes.
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| 'My daughter has been sullied forever' |
Johnny shows up at the end of summer show and drags Baby from her corner. They dance, everyone sees just how Johnny has made Baby a woman. Robbie owns up about his wayward penis and Baby's dad realises Johnny isn't such a dirtbag. Everyone's happy and they all dance.
Presumably Baby goes to college, moves to New York, gets really into Bohemia for a bit, marries a college professor and becomes a writer. Johnny presumably joins his dad's construction firm and never dances again.'
Love it. So I re watched. Honestly I remembered pretty clearly what had happened. Oh, except that Watermelon guys name was Billy. I had to rewind it twice to catch that. Ha ha rewind. No one rewinds anything anymore. Also it was the 60's not the 50's.
This movie had a lot for me. I'm a dance geek and have been since I was little, so the dance aspect would have won me over immediately. Seriously, I have seen a lot of dance movies and most of them are terrible. But on re watch Dirty Dancing has got a lot more issues than I at first realised. There's the whole class panic. Johnny's from the wrong side of tracks and everyone involved has to re address their bigotry when Johnny and Baby get together. So yes it is your typical Princess and Stable boy romance, but there's a reason those are so successful. Plus I like the abortion angle and the championing of the independent woman who is control of her own body and decisions. I really loved it. It spoke to the nostalgia of those long summers when you're a teenager longing for romance. It's a coming of age story. It's a wonderful film that makes me smile every time I watch it. Not to mention the awesome soundtrack. Even 'She's like the Wind' which has just enough '80's cheesiness to make you forgive it.
There's a good reason this one is in my DVD collection and it will probably stay there until I grow old. Or until the next thing after DVD shows up, and it's not Blu Ray, that's just a fancier DVD.
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| Oh Johnny, put a shirt on. |
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