An enjoyable romance which has become something of a classic

Rating: 8/10 (6 May 2016)

It is 1963 and the Houseman family are spending their summer at a resort on the Catskill Mountains; it is the sort of place well to do families go to holiday and boys get waiting jobs before heading off to Ivy League universities. It is quite clear that many of the families hope their daughters might meet a nice prospective husband there they certainly aren't expected to get involved with the other staff; the professional dance instructors who are seen as being from the wrong side of the tracks. Frances "Baby" Houseman finds herself attracted to one of these 'bad boys', Johnny Castle, after she strays into the staff area and sees them 'dirty dancing'. Initially he sees her as just another rich girl who thinks she knows it all, but then she helps when his dance partner Penny needs money for an abortion. This means he needs a new dance partner for an event at another hotel and Baby volunteers; so begins her dancing lessons. After the event they return and learn that Penny's abortion was horribly botched; Baby takes control of the situation and gets her father, who is a doctor. This has an obvious effect on their relationship; he feels he can no longer trust her and he certainly doesn't want her seeing Johnny again.
I first saw this film many years ago but had forgotten most of it so thought it might be worth watching again. The overall story is reasonably predictable but there are some surprises; the illegal abortion subplot is certainly darker than one might expect in a romantic story. This does add to the plot though; bringing Baby and Johnny closer together as well as driving a wedge between Baby and her father. In a film like this the music is obviously important and even though the music isn't of the period it is effective; this is especially true of the finale where Baby and Johnny dance to 'The Time of Your Life' which provides the film's most memorable moment. The leads do an impressive job; Jennifer Grey may not be conventionally sexy but she has plenty of attitude which makes her character and her relationship believable. Patrick Swayze also impresses as Johnny. These two have a good chemistry and their relationship develops nicely through the film as does Baby's dancing ability. Overall I'd say this film is well worth watching even if you aren't a fan of romances.