You'll never love someone like you did when you were 17 years old

Rating: Null/10 (4 December 2019)

It's the summer of 1963 and young Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) is attending a resort with her parents and her older sister. There she ends up hanging out with the staff of the resort and meeting an older dance instructor named Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). Trials and tribulations ensue.
A movie that most people have at least heard about. One of the most well-known movies of the 80s and still something of a classic with certain gender and age demographics. Personally, being an adult male, I don't belong in any of them, but I have to admit the movie was not half bad.
And a lot of that is due to how earnest the film is. Sure, the plot is not overly complicated, the characters are kind of clichéd and the ending is insultingly predictable, but it has a lot of passion behind it. Both Grey and Swayze are giving it their all and that shows. They also have a surprising amount of chemistry, which is pretty much the selling point of these types of movies. I also like how progressive it is, especially for its time.
You also can't forget the soundtrack, including a lot of songs that are still played today.
Then again, the plot is so basic that it almost edges into a parody. The movie is also a bit tamer than I expected, given how people rave about it. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's a thing to keep in mind. It's also a movie about equality and not dividing people into classes. But it's also one of the whitest movies I've seen in a while. Again, it's progressive for its time, but it's also over thirty years old.
Still, I can see why people like it. Passion and honest emotion will get you far and this movie has both of those.