Member review

“Nobody puts baby in the corner” – no ‘Baby’, needs to be put on the mantel piece for the whole world to see. The music spawned millions of drunken karaoke renditions, the imitating of the classic lift scene sent many a people to hospital, the dance moves quickened pulses and increased temperatures and the romances inspired us all to want to find true love for ourselves. When it comes to classic romantic tales Dirty Dancing stands triumphantly even amongst the great films of the genre; likes of Ghost, Titanic and The Notebook somehow still pale in comparison. Before I watched Dirty Dancing, I was very sceptical of doing so because I expected the film to be cheesy, over top and victim of its own hype. But fortunately for me, after nearly 30 years Dirty Dancing remains steamier than a sauner, as charismatic as Russell Brand in a clown costume and as beautiful as Jessica Chastain with a rose in her hair. On first glances Baby (Jennifer Grey) was suspecting to be locked up in your usual run of the mill, mundane teenage equivalent to hell – a holiday resort full of old people who do nothing but play golf, drink martinis and enjoy conga lines. However Baby is soon liberated from the shackles of the boring by Jonny Castle, a bad boy dance instructor with a history of having an eye for the ladies. At first you wouldn’t expect Baby to want anything to do with Jonny; she is the daughter of a doctor, she wants to study the economics of third world countries and Baby who is actually called Frances is named after the first woman in the U.S cabinet. While Jonny on the other hand is a hot head, provocative dancer who seem a little too close to his female dance partner. But with enough time lust became merely the rain drops on soil that allowed true love to blossom through, as Baby and Jonny become dance partners who spin and twirl into each other beds and then eventually waltz into each others hearts. I had the time of my life watching Dirty Dancing, mainly because of the scintillating performances administrated by the two leads with incredible panache and emotion. After his performances in Dirty Dancing and again in Ghost, it is undeniable that Patrick Swayze is the king of romances and can easily beat John Travolta in a dance off. But for me Jennifer Grey is the real star, she is sweet and endearing whilst burning bright with defiance, sass and red hot heat on the dance floor. So easy it is to abide to the labels that gangster movies are for guys and romance movies are for woman, but it would be wrong because it ignores the potent power of films to transcend gender, racial and generational differences and articulate directly to the human soul. So while woman can enjoy that moral ambiguity and gun totting action of a Scorsese flick; then guys can equally enjoy Director Emile Ardolino’s classic for its smooth heart serenading ballads, mouth wowing dance routines and a love story that makes you want to be book the next available flight to Catskill Mountains to find your own Baby.