Do Ya Love Me?

Rating: 6/10 (6 February 2007)

Growing up there was a movie I loved. Star Wars. I wanted to be Han Solo, I wanted the X-Wings and lightsaber. I wanted to live a dream. A little while later I became vaguely aware of something called girls. Now that I've learned to talk to them without pulling their hair and running away (generally) I've discovered that for many of them the reverence I hold for Star Wars they hold for Dirty Dancing. Why? I'll come back to that later.
Dirty Dancing is a simple movie. Baby (Jennifer Grey) and her family go to an upper middle class holiday resort for the summer. She is only seventeen, naive and something of a Daddy's girl (Her nickname is Baby, this is not a subtle movie). Once we reach the resort we realise that amongst the staff there is a very distinct class system at work. It is acceptable, even encouraged that the waiters 'show the daughters a good time' but the dancers, led by Johnny (Patrick Swayze) are to keep well away from them. And why not I ask you, after all, he wears tight fitting t-shirts and a leather jacket. He's a wrong 'un and no mistake. Still, as is the nature of these things Baby and Johnny are thrust together due to circumstance, and decide to continue thrusting together due to them both being attractive and young. He teaches her how to dance and she teaches him that he can be anything he wants to be. Unfortunately their love is a forbidden love and Baby's father, Dr. Jake Houseman (Jerry Orbach), cannot see past Johnny's working class roots, assuming that he is the one who got his own dancing partner pregnant. Of course it wasn't, it was that no good, rich waiter who is now making moves on Baby's sister! Still, Baby continues to see Johnny, this is after all true love, but of course they are eventually discovered, Johnny is sacked and Baby is miserable. Luckily her father knows she'll get over it. However, Dr. Houseman had not counted on the big finish. Inspired by Baby's belief in both himself and her ideology in general, Johnny returns to the resort and dances the last dance of the season with Baby in front of all the guests. The evil waiter is discovered, Dr. Houseman accepts Johnny, and the classes are united through the medium of dance. Huzzah! The performances here are absolutely fine. Grey is suitably cute and sunshine-filled, and it is actually hard to believe that she is ten years older than her character is supposed to be. Swayze looks fantastic and I can absolutely see why every girl I knew growing up wanted to be Baby. Orbach is suitably fatherly, giving what is actually a very subtle and real performance. Many parts of the story are contrived, but if you are going to believe that the boy from the wrong side of the tracks and daddy's princess are going to end up together in the end, I think we can accept that.
Like many people I really enjoy the soundtrack to this movie. Mixing fantastic early 60s rock'n'roll with mid-80s ballads it starts your toes tapping straight from the start and doesn't give up until the very end. Then of course there is the dancing. I remember at the tender age of nine being at a friends house and having a feeling of pure horror when it was suggested that I be Johnny while she danced as Baby to 'I Had The Time Of My Life'. For a start I didn't think I had a hope in pulling off the lift. I mean, we had never even set foot in a handy, nearby lake.
So, back to my original question. Why is this movie so popular, especially with women? Apart from the fact that Baby has a pretty amazing life, I think it is because she is the knight in shining armour. In Star Wars Princess Leia is no slouch but lets be honest, it's up to Luke and Han to rescue her. In Dirty Dancing it is the princess who rescues the lovable rogue. There is no need for a blaster or a lightsaber, here she is able to do it through simply believing in other people and believing in love.
This movie will never mean as much to me as Star Wars or Indiana Jones, but I don't think it's awful, I don't even think it's bad. In fact I think it's quite good. It is an unpretentious, feel-good romance movie. I may not have had the time of my life, but it was certainly a pleasant enough hour and a half.