Dirty Dancing.

I so often look at classics because they are bad, no one remembers them and sometimes they are worth sharing (rarely though, admittedly) but how often do I look at classics that actually matter, that people actually like and remember? You could argue that my opinion on a 1980s classic that everyone already loves is irrelevant. But I'm a man, I was born in the 90s and grew up there so my take and general opinion on the film will probably be very different than that of say a young/teenage girl in the 80s who actually saw this in theatres upon its release and grew up with it. I mean I grew up with this film too, sure, but I grew up with it in a different way. You may not think about it but the medium in which we explore films and the backdrop to when we see them has a considerable impact on how we respond to it. Just think about your reaction to a film in theatres and then the rewatches you may explore when it's released for home viewing at the most basic example of this. This is a coming of age drama, a drama about a girl coming of age in 1963 however it uses music from the 70s and 80s, meaning it has a very different meaning to people who grew up in different eras, so you better believe that watching the same journey in 2012 has a different impact on how you respond to the film, especially as I am a man. You could argue that this is pretentious pandering and ignore the point but I try my hardest to avoid the pretentiousness, critics of my writing aside, so I wouldn't bother raising the point if I didn't see it as a relevant. I could understand your lack of interest but everyone who is sticking with me across the jump, thanks. And I hope this provides an interesting, cultural read, if nothing else. RIP Patrick Swayze.

Dirty Dancing on the face of it, is a pretty typical indie romance film. At the time the studio releasing it was new and ended up running itself into the ground, despite all the money it took in from this film. None of the cast were famous stars and the success of the cast coming out of this film ranged from nonexistent to legendary. And the budget was tiny. The thing that sets it apart and probably landed it as such a staple is that it was a box office smash. Since its release it's generated several hundred million, it was the first film to sell over a million copies on home video and the soundtrack generated two multi-platinum albums and many singles. Since the release there has been reboots and stage versions across the globe. Also, the behind the scenes stuff and conception of this film is really fascinating, I won't bother condensing it all here but it's worth a look into.

Thankfully, unlike many of the iconic classics from this era, Dirty Dancing was well received even at the time of its release, well except for Roger Ebert and I guess as he didn't like it, now I can't like it either... Despite being aimed at teens, it drew in adults and people would go in to see the film, walk out and go right back in for another helping. The film soared to number one at the box office and soon it spread across the seas and people everywhere were finding themselves in dance classes and to this very day, home copies of this film still fly off shelves in their millions. Dirty Dancing is a phenomenon. So, shall we see what the fuss is all about?

For those who live under a rock, Dirty Dancing is the clichéd story about an abortion, which collides two very different people together for a dance which has them falling in love along the way, all done in a setting that looks something straight out of a slasher film.

The title of the film is 'Dirty Dancing', this is important because dancing is what tells most of the story. It's funny, when you think back on it, Baby and Johnny don't actually say that much to one another, despite the length of the film. Most of their romance is told through grinding their bodies together. This sounds disastrous on paper but Kenny Ortega's choreography is so good, he pulls it off. The body language Baby and Johnny have when they dance, the way they look at one another as they dance...that tells me more than any cheesy, clichéd bit of dialogue could. I'm not like a dancing fanatic, I know very little about dancing but these guys move as fluid as water and you don't need to know anything about dance, to realise that is incredible. And the way he can switch the tone so suddenly but so consistently, is a real feat. His dancing can be romantic...it can be sexy, it can switch between the two effortlessly.

It's sad that Jennifer Grey didn't go on to really do much else with her career because she is wonderful in this. Honestly, I don't think the acting in this film really is that great, even from Swayze, who I know is a great actor but this only showcases Grey further, she is fantastic. To be fair though, I don't really know how much of that is the actors fault, the dialogue in this film is incredibly corny and the film is populated less with characters and more archetypal character outlines waiting to get fleshed out but never end up getting to.

That being said, although Swayze may not be putting on the best performance of his career, he more than makes up for this with his chemistry with Grey. It's hard to believe that Grey and Swayze didn't get on at all behind the scenes because when you watch these two together on screen, it's completely believable. Palpable chemistry, you can practically see the dribble falling out of her mouth, you can practically grind on their sexual tension, practically see the jealousy burning in her eyes. It's even more incredible when you read about how much of this was improvised. And yes, it may be somewhat clichéd that Baby is the complete opposite of Johnny and so it causes conflict for the two of them to get together (how many times have we heard that story?) but the characters play off each other so beautifully, it's hard to care.

The pacing in this film is...conflicted, when it comes to dealing with Baby and Johnny's relationship, it gives it enough time progress naturally and believably just like Baby's dancing ability. However Baby and Johnny are surrounded by paper thin characters, who either stay paper thin until the very end or drop out of the story entirely. I really like how we see things build and take shape with Johnny and Baby but why have so many characters if you're going to do nothing with them? Still, this film is 100 minutes long and not a moment seems to drag, so that much I have to praise.

There is another problem with the pacing and that is with the whole class divide thing. Johnny and his 'entertainers' are all working class and live in shitty shacks, while all the waiters get lovely cabins because they all come from great Universities, who basically work here to get hitched. And despite this parading around in the background for the whole film, it really does absolutely nothing, it has no reason to be there at all. The movie makes a deal of it at the start, then pretends it doesn't exist for the rest of it, aside from Baby's father looking down his nose at Johnny. This is a waste of my time!

Dirty Dancing has one of the most conflicted tones I've ever seen in a movie. It ends on this gloriously cheesy dance number to 'Time of My Life', features throughout some thigh grinding sexiness and features a brutally dark subplot about abortion. Mixing goofball cheese, gulp inducing sexiness and moments of real emotional whack probably shouldn't all work in the same movie but there is something so cohesive, so honest about it all, that it just works.

So do I recommend it? I know the movie isn't flawless, it barely stands under the weight of all the clichés, the characters are weak and so is the acting but I also don't believe there is such a thing as a perfect movie and films like this are some of the closest to perfection, in my mind. And maybe this film isn't the same for me in 2012 as it was for those in 1987 but Dirty Dancing is still a cinema experience every moviegoer should well...experience, this is more than softcore porn for teenage girls.

Think About It!

-Locke