Saturday afternoon at the movies

My internet friends CJ and Kathy are part of this meme where you post your all time favorite films.   I'm not sure I have more than about FOUR favorite films, but I have films I have seen that I can share.  However, unlike CJ, who says the meme cites there is no need to explain why you like the film, I prefer the way my internet friend Birgit reviews films (often hilarious, occasionally irreverent).  Her synopses are not to be missed.


Today I am reviewing Dirty Dancing (1987).  I went against my own requirements, and although I don't consider this a "chick flick," it is still a love story.  It's also considered by many women to be the best love story of all time.

This is a story about a young 17 year old girl named Baby (Jennifer Gray, Joel Gray's daughter) who falls in love with a dance instructor (Patrick Swayze) at a resort where she and her family are staying.  

The subplot involves an abortion, which caused various potential sponsors to refuse to sponsor unless the scenes were pulled.  One of my favorite actors is Jerry Orbach who plays Baby's father.  

It all begins when Baby, her sister, her mother, and her father Dr. Jake Houseman head to the Catskills for a summer of fun and relaxation.  Baby sees it as her last chance for fun before she goes to college, then off to the Peace Corp. 

Along the way, she meets a dance instructor, Johnny Castle and his partner Penny Johnson (Swayze and Cynthia Rhodes).  She learns that Penny is pregnant, so she goes to her father and asks for money, not telling him it is for an abortion.  Penny, who got pregnant by a Yale college student working as a waiter for the summer, says she can't get the abortion because she has to be in another resort's dance contest that she and Johnny were under contract to perform.  Baby offers to take her place, so Penny gets the abortion, which is botched.
 
Since Baby's dad is a medical doctor, she goes to him and asks for his help in saving Penny's life.  Remember, this was 1963 and abortion was still illegal in the U.S. at that time.  Jake manages to save Penny's life, but when Jake finds out that Baby lied about the money, he assumes it's Johnny's child and refuses to allow her to be anywhere near him. 

Lo and behold, Baby sneaks out at night and starts dancing with him.

They win their contest, but they were unable to perform the lift.

Robbie (Max Cantor) is dating and wants to sleep with Lisa, Baby's sister, even though he wouldn't help Penny when she was in trouble.  Lisa hopes to lose her virginity to Robbie, but Baby tells her he is no good.

When the owner of the resort finds out that Johnny has been seeing Baby, he fires Johnny. 

Just before the final event of the season, Jake gives Robbie money for medical school.  That's when Robbie admits he got Penny pregnant, then badmouths both Penny and Baby.  Jake got so mad, he took the money back.

As the event was about to end, Johnny returns, grabs Baby saying "Nobody puts Baby in the corner."  They get up, dance together, and perform the lift perfectly.  After the dance, Jake comes up to Johnny and admits he had been wrong about him and he and his daughter reconcile.

Many critics hated the movie.  They thought it was not worth the money, was a dog, and that it wouldn't even break even.   Turns out they were wrong because it was one of the highest grossing films of 1987.  It also won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy, in addition to the sales from the soundtrack.

Hope you liked my pick this week, and thanks for joining me for Saturday afternoon at the movies.  I believe you can find Dirty Dancing free on the internet and rent it on Amazon Prime.