Dirty Dancing (1987)

Director:

Emile Ardolino

Writer:

Eleanor Bergstein (written by)

Release Date:

21 August 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Have The Time Of Your Life

Plot:

Spending the summer in a holiday camp with her family, Frances ('Baby') falls in love with the camp's dancing teacher.

Plot Keywords:

Dance | Love | Abortion | Doctor | Resort

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 9 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Jennifer Grey	...	Frances 'Baby' Houseman
Patrick Swayze	...	Johnny Castle
Jerry Orbach	...	Dr. Jake Houseman
Cynthia Rhodes	...	Penny Johnson
Jack Weston	...	Max Kellerman
Jane Brucker	...	Lisa Houseman
Kelly Bishop	...	Marjorie Houseman
Lonny Price	...	Neil Kellerman
Max Cantor	...	Robbie Gould
Charles 'Honi' Coles	...	Tito Suarez (as Charles Honi Coles)
Neal Jones	...	Billy Kostecki
'Cousin Brucie' Morrow	...	Magician
Wayne Knight	...	Stan
Paula Trueman	...	Mrs. Schumacher
Alvin Myerovich	...	Mr. Schumacher

Runtime:

USA:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS (re-release) | Dolby Digital (re-release) | Dolby (original release) | SDDS (re-release)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Ireland:12A | Belgium:KT (original rating) | South Korea:15 | UK:15 (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-10 | France:U | Norway:12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:7 | UK:12A (re-rating) (2004) | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:14A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Appalachian region, Virginia, USA

Company:

Great American Films Limited Partnership

Trivia:

The song "She's Like The Wind", originally written for Grandview, U.S.A. (1984), was later used in this movie instead.

Goofs:

Continuity: Before the final show/dance, Baby is sitting on her bed getting ready. She is wearing a no-seam bra (not available at the time) and rolling up stockings before putting them on when her sister comes in. When Baby is at the party/final dance, she is wearing a backless dress (no bra) and when dancing, she is wearing pantyhose instead of the stockings (and necessary garter-belt) that she was preparing earlier.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Radio disc jockey: [on radio] Hi, everybody, this is your Cousin Brucie. Whoa! Our summer romances are in full bloom, and everybody, but everybody's in love. So cousins, here's a great song from The Four Seasons.
Baby: [voiceover] That was the summer of 1963 - when everybody called me Baby, and it didn't occur to me to mind. That was before President Kennedy was shot, before the Beatles came, when I couldn't wait to join the Peace Corps, and I thought I'd never find a guy as great as my dad. That was the summer we went to Kellerman's.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saved by the Bell: The Gift (#1.3)" (1989)

Soundtrack:

Big Girls Don't Cry

"I don't believe you Baby"!

This timeless summer love story is a classic and will never be dated. I can't even count how many times I've seen Dirty Dancing. This is one movie that I could probably watch every few weeks and still love.

There is something timeless about this movie. I have loved other "blockbuster love story movies" like Pretty Woman and when Harry met Sally. I think their up there but there is something about Dirty Dancing that just makes it absolutely perfect. The characters, the chemistry between Swaze and Grey, the movie's direction, the INCREDIBLE dancing, the warm summery atmosphere, everything about dirty dancing is absolutely perfect. It is an instant classic and I've never really seen a movie like it either before or since.

I don't think there is one particular element that makes this movie so loved but many things, a lot of which are mentioned by numerous reviewers. Dirty Dancing has a nostalgic, languid, summery mood, realistic characters, a relateable honest message coupled with incredible music and dancing, and the one of the best dance sequences cinema has ever given us.

This movie is always on TV and I will continue to watch it as long as they show it. But I WILL mention I have no interest in seeing "Havanna Nights", this one they should have left alone.