Countdown to Valentine’s Day – “Dirty Dancing”

I fell in love with Patrick Swayze the moment I watched Dirty Dancing.  It is a classic and if you haven’t seen it yet, I suggest running to the nearest DVD rental store or kiosk and picking up yourself a copy to check out!  Dirty Dancing is full of dancing, romance, and fun and is the first movie I’m featuring in my countdown to Valentine’s Day.  When you think of Valentine’s Day, you think of romance, flowers, chocolates, and movies.  I thought this would be a fun way to feature some of my favorite romantic movies in anticipation of the most romantic day of the year!

DIRTY DANCING SUMMARY

In the 1960s, Frances “Baby” Houseman, a sweet daddy’s girl, goes with her family to a resort in upstate New York’s Catskill Mountains. Baby has grown up in privileged surroundings and all expect her to go on to college, join the Peace Corps and save the world before marrying a doctor, just like her father. Unexpectedly, Baby becomes infatuated with the camp’s dance instructor, Johnny, a man whose background is vastly different from her own. Baby lies to her father to get money to pay for an illegal abortion for Johnny’s dance partner. She then fills in as Johnny’s dance partner and it is as he is teaching her the dance routine that they fall in love. It all comes apart when Johnny’s friend falls seriously ill after her abortion and Baby gets her father, who saves the girl’s life. He then learns what Baby has been up to, who with and worse – that he funded the illegal abortion. He bans his daughter from any further association with “those people”. In the first deliberately willful action of her life, Baby later sneaks out to see Johnny – ostensibly to apologize for her father’s rudeness – and ends up consummating her relationship with Johnny. A jealous fellow vacationer sees Baby sneaking out of Johnny’s bungalow the next morning and in an act of retribution, tells management that he is responsible for a theft the evening before, knowing he would not furnish his real whereabouts. In an act of bravery, Baby states that Johnny is innocent, and alibis him by confessing that they were together all night. This revelation causes a huge rift in the family and Baby makes an impassioned speech to her angry and bereft father. At the closing night performances, and although he has been fired and banned from attending, Johnny returns and takes the stage to tell everyone about the woman whose faith in him and whose courage changed his life. They do one final show-stopping dance together. Baby’s father learns that Johnny was not responsible for his partner’s pregnancy and learns to accept that although his beloved daughter is transitioning to womanhood, she will always love him.

DVD FAST FACTS

– Actors:  Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes, Jack Weston
– Directors:  Emile Ardolino
– Format:  Color, Closed-captioned, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
– Language:  English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX), English (DTS ES 6.1)
– Subtitles:  English, Spanish
– Region:  Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
– Aspect Ratio:  1.85:1
– Number of Discs:  1
– Rated:  PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
– Studio:  Lions Gate
– DVD Release Date:  December 9, 2003
– Run Time:  105 minutes

If you haven’t seen it yet, you must check out the dancing scene to “I’ve Had the Time of My Life.”

I received no compensation for this post.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.