Doesn't miss a step

Rating: 7/10 (16 January 2017)

Plot; A sheltered teenager falls in love with a handsome older dance instructor while on vacation with her family at a resort in the early 1960s.
I must've watched Dirty Dancing at least half a dozen times during the Summer of 1990. Not because I was in any way a fan of the movie, but because a girl I had a huge crush on seemed to have it on a loop. I had no idea I was in the Friend Zone. I didn't even know what a Friend Zone was. I just pretended to love it because she loved it.
Fast forward 27 years (Wow. Just... wow) and I still have a certain affection for Dirty Dancing. I've always liked the soundtrack, even before that Summer spent in the air conditioned comfort of Denise Harvey's suburban Ohio living room. And of course the movie is sort of a touchstone to that place and time. So, when I saw the Blu-Ray poking out from the abyss that is the Wal-Mart bargain bin, I had to get it.
The movie is first and foremost (and perhaps only) a feel good coming of age story. There's some pretense about being more, but really this is nothing more than a fairytale; and that's perfectly okay, as it handles that aspect deftly. Stars Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey have good chemistry, the soundtrack is a hip-shaking mix of 60s classics and anachronistic 80s hits (including one from Swayze himself) and though it's all cheesier than Chuck E., it does entertain, and yes, make you feel good. What's wrong with that? - You know you're in a feel good Hollywood movie when a heretofore obstinate Father's mind is changed by watching his daughter dance a sexy mamba with the much older dance instructor he's hated the previous 104 minutes of the film.

Swayze was a dancer in real life, and it shows. Grey certainly holds her own (and there are no doubles here ala Flashdance), but it's Swayze who really shines in the dance numbers. I can't say that Swayze was a great actor, but he has absolute conviction in every role I've ever seen him in, and that's commendable. Grey however is a good actress, and she's very strong here. The movie really rests on her shoulders, and she carries the load with charm and grace. Kudos also to the late Jerry Orbach, wonderful as always in his role as the Father.