As Ryan Gosling showed us in Crazy Stupid Love (and Romain Duris in Heartbreaker, if you're of the French persuasion), no girl can resist any of the choreography from Dirty Dancing, especially the flashier moves. Patrick Swayze embodies the masculine, seductive Johnny with dance routines that will echo throughout eternity. There are a lot of reasons why this movie has been a favorite for several generations of audiences. It's partially because of how easy it is for us to put ourselves in the place of Baby, and relate to her discovering the world outside of her naive little bubble. And there's also the tremendous chemistry between Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze, despite the two actors famously hating each other while on set. But let's be honest -- it's mostly about the dancing. Joyful, iconic numbers that make you want to get up and start dancing around the room, or make you vaguely consider the idea of taking Latin dance lessons (don't worry, that rush of enthusiasm will pass shortly after the credits stop rolling). In terms of quality and cultural impact, Dirty Dancing is pretty much the Citizen Kane of dance films.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
