Product: Dirty Dancing (1987)
Rating: 4.0
AFI's Great Love Stories: #93 Dirty Dancing
Every time we get to the end of "Dirty Dancing," and Dr. Jake Houseman (Jerry Orbach) says "When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong," I always end up yelling at the screen because he never says he is wrong! "Dirty Dancing" has plenty of dancing, dirty and otherwise, but the juice for this film is supplied by the contrast between Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. He is Johnny Castle, basically a street punk earning a living dancing up a story at a Catskills resort. She is Frances "Baby" Houseman, saved from being a cute little spoiled rich girl by her social conscience, and once the two of them collide "Baby" starts growing up real fast. You see, Baby does Mombo and ends up having the time of her life. Like John Travolta, Swayze proved that when you add some major hip swiveling to smoldering good lucks, it really, really works. Grey personified sweet innocence and the resulting contrast made this campy little film work. Interesting footnote: originally there were some nude scenes in this film but test audiences did not like seeing Baby naked, so they were cut. Now, isn't that romantic?Most Romantic Lines: (1) "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." (2) "I had...the time of my-y life...and I owe it all to yo-ou." (Okay, nobody SAYS it, but it is the line you all remember.)If you like "Dirty Dancing," then check out these other films on AFI's list: #31 "The King and I" and #30 "Swing Time." Why? Because these are movies where the dancing substitutes for the sex. Actually, is there a hotter sex scene than the dance scene in "The King and I"? Also, for good measure, toss in #95 "Lady and the Tramp" which also features a romance from opposite sides of the track, and #19 "Ghost," because it also stars Swayze.