Lightning-in-a-bottle cult classic from the 80s!

Rating: 10/10 (10 March 2012)

I first saw DIRTY DANCING (1987) when it came out and it was just like any other 80s flick for me at that time, just basic entertainment. This is one of my Mom's favorite movies and I had to re-watch it to see why she loves it and it holds such a special place in the hearts of many cult fans. Some movies just WORK! And Dirty Dancing is one of those movies. It is an anomaly of a film, set in the early 60s at a summer resort, but with a definite 80s vibe hovering over it, since it came out in '87 and features several popular 80s songs on it's soundtrack, one of which is actually used in the film's concluding explosive dance sequence, the Oscar-winning tune "The Time of My Life".
The film stars the electrifying duo of Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, both general unknowns at the time, who seem to be perfectly cast for these roles. Ironically, it was well-publicized that the two immensely disliked each other prior to filming DD because of some troubles they had on a previous flick they had done 2 years prior Red Dawn. But, thankfully, they worked out their differences and, thus, this timeless cult dance-romance movie was born!
In analyzing the acting, while Grey is wonderful as the innocent main character "Baby" (whose family is vacationing at the resort), it is truly Swayze who steals the show in an utterly convincing and brilliant performance as the very masculine and charismatic dance master Johnny! Swayze's Johnny is so authentic as an extremely gifted, hard-working and talented man (employed by the resort to give dance lessons), who is used, manipulated, and mistreated by the uppity summer residents, that it hurts to watch at times. Swayze truly conveys Johnny's pain and desire for a better existence. Grey's Baby provides that turning point in his life. Grey herself is pretty convincing as a 17-year old (even she was actually in her mid-20s at the time).
I'm actually not a big fan of movies whose major plots are romance or love stories, but this one is probably my favorite one of all time! The Johnny-Baby romance feels natural and real, not contrived at all. Initially having a bumpy relationship and interactions, they slowly develop a mutual admiration, respect, and love for each other. They complement each other and bring out previously hidden and untapped qualities. Johnny unleashes Baby's underlying sex appeal (and dancing ability!), while Baby gives Johnny more confidence in himself and more trust that there are decent people in the world, not to mention the most important thing...TRUE LOVE!
80s flicks had a tendency to use soundtracks a lot for montages, but DD does it better than any I can recall, underscoring several Baby-Johnny scenes where Johnny is teaching Baby to dance, my favorites being the "Hungry Eyes" montage and the "Lover Boy" scene of Baby teasing Johnny and Johnny playing along. These music-montage scenes actually propel the story as much as the purely dialog scenes.
The supporting cast is good, including an effective Jerry Orbach as Baby's Dad, real-life dancer Cynthia Rhodes (from Staying Alive) as Johnny's former dance partner who has been impregnated by one of the other resort workers and Baby must take her place as Johnny's partner, a funny Jane Brucker as Baby's daffy older sister Lisa, and Jack Weston as the resort manager.
DD is also an 80s flick that avoids the dreaded "dated" tag due to it being set in the 60s and capturing the vibe of that decade very well, and the film still looks very modern and vibrant, with crisp visuals, not cheap-looking like a lot of 80s flicks. A very breezy, entertaining, and romantic creation of the 80s, DIRTY DANCING is timeless!