Two days ago, I had the great pleasure of seeing the 1987 classic 'Dirty Dancing' on the big screen with my girlfriend for what is currently the movie's 30th anniversary. Up until Sunday night, I'd never seen this movie before, oh I certainly knew about it, its place in the romantic movie genre, the classic line "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" etc. but seeing the movie on the big screen with my sweetheart, was a whole different experience entirely.
Three things stand out most with this movie, the story/casting, and of course the music and dancing.
'Dirty Dancing' has an iconic story, one of love and defying the standards of the setting, all in the name of being true to one's self and not being held back from making choices that are right for yourself, all while coming together through the power of dance. And in bringing that story to life, audiences have the amazing and wonderful casting of Jennifer Grey as Frances "Baby" Houseman and Patrick Swayze as Johnny Castle. The pair of them have amazing on-screen chemistry, they just fit so well together, and as their characters progress throughout the movie, fall in love and affirm that love (all while dancing their hearts out) and then the movie ends, you can't help but wonder "where do they go from there?".
Music, ah what music this movie has! With the films setting of 1963, there's much music from that time that makes up the film soundtrack, including songs from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, The Ronettes, Bruce Channel and so many others. Its a soundtrack that once you hear it, you can't get it out of your head, because you won't want to get it out of your head!
As for the dancing, holy wow what dancing! It's vibrant and daring and alive and close and there is such raw energy watching all of the cast dance, and even ten times that when one watches Grey and Swayze dance together, that one just can't help but be entranced by it all, by the power of their dancing.
'Dirty Dancing', what more can be said about this movie that hasn't already been said over the years? It's a beautiful story, with a cast that packs a wallop right in the heart, coupled together with music and dances that are well known to this day and will continue to be well known as the years go by. This is a movie that I will always love and cherish now, because I got to see it on the big screen for the first time with my girlfriend, the love of my life.
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