A film by Emile Ardolino

This is perhaps the one movie that I never expected to ever watch. Nothing that I had heard about it made it sound like something I would have any interest in whatsoever. I had even less of an expectation that should I actually see the movie that I would actually like it. When I finally started watching Dirty Dancing , it was to my great surprise when I found that I was enjoying the movie. Simply put: this is a good movie.

It is the summer of 1963. President Kennedy was still alive and there was still an attitude of innocence in America, at least this is what is presented to us in the film. Baby (Jennifer Grey) is on vacation for three weeks with her sister and parents (Jerry Orbach, Kelly Bishop) to a resort in the Catskill Mountains. Baby is na ve about the world and about how she relates to the world. At the resort she meets Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze), a kind of bad boy who works with the entertainment crew at the resort. He is one of the lead dancers at the resort. They meet and Johnny is not initially impressed with Baby (nor is anyone in the entertainment crew), but when Johnny s dance partner needs to get an abortion, Johnny needs a new dance partner so that he can perform and keep his job. The new dance partner: Baby. From this springs good dancing (both in the lessons as well in the performance) and a budding relationship between Johnny and Baby.

While I had thought the idea for this movie was a little cheesy, it was perfectly executed. Good dancing, good music, good acting, good chemistry between Grey and Swayze, and a nice love story. This movie far exceeded my expectations, and I am glad that I finally watched it (with thanks to my fianc for telling me to watch it). It is a good movie and it still holds up fifteen years after it was first released.