Dirty Dancing (1987)
Average Rating: 6/10
Reviews Counted: 54
Fresh: 39 | Rotten: 15
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 6.4/10
Critic Reviews: 12
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 2
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 1,050,092
Movie Info
A teenage girl learns about love, adult responsibility, and how to do The Dirty Boogie in this romantic drama. In 1963, "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) is a 17-year-old spending the summer with her family at a resort hotel in the Catskills; she plans on being in the Peace Corps next summer, so this is expected to be her last summer as a carefree adolescent. Baby doesn't get along with her older sister, Lisa (Jane Brucker), and she's bored to tears by most of the older guests at the resort.
Aug 21, 1987 Wide
Aug 19, 1997
Vestron Pictures
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Patrick Swayze
Johnny Castle -
Jennifer Grey
Frances "Baby" House... -
Jerry Orbach
Dr. Jake Houseman -
Cynthia Rhodes
Penny Johnson -
Jack Weston
Max Kellerman -
Jane Brucker
Lisa Houseman -
Kelly Bishop
Marjorie Houseman -
Lonny Price
Neil Kellerman -
Max Cantor
Robbie Gould -
Charles "Honi" Coles
Tito Suarez -
Neal Jones
Billy Kostecki -
Jesus Fuentes
Dirty Dancer -
Heather Lea Gerdes
Dancer -
Garry Goodrow
Moe Pressman -
Wayne Knight
Stan -
Alvin Myerovich
Mr. Schumacher -
Antone Pagan
Staff Kid -
Dorian Sanchez
Dirty Dancer -
Paula Trueman
Mrs. Schumacher -
Miranda Garrison
Vivian Pressman -
Tom Connold
Bus Boy -
Jennifer Stahl
Dirty Dancer -
-
Bruce "Cousin Brucie...
Magician -
ADVERTISEMENT
Dirty Dancing Trailer & Photos
All Critics (55) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (39) | Rotten (15) | DVD (24)
The dancing here brings out the sensual dreaminess of the songs. Dirty Dancing -- what a great title! -- is such a bubbleheaded, retro vision of growing up in the sixties (or any other time) that you go out of the theatre giggling happily.
Top CriticIf the ending of Eleanor Bergstein's script is too neat and inspirational, the rough energy of the film's song and dance does carry one along, past the whispered doubts of better judgment.
Although the plot is sometimes implausible, the movie's music, dancing and romantic spirit carry a lot of it. In addition, Dirty Dancing has the virtues of a female main character (a bit unusual in a coming-of-age movie) and an interesting setting.
Smart and funny, touching and unabashedly sensual.
This is a shapely film, considered and concise. And if its rhetorical slickness eventually covers up its emotional core, that slickness has a pleasure of its own.
While the music on the soundtrack is predictably overloud, the period detail is refreshingly soft-pedaled.
While it's easy to be cynical about the whole affair, the film's sheer audacity is admirable, and Dirty Dancing knows what it aspires to.
There is some freshness in the film, much of it supplied by Jennifer Grey, who's appealing, thoughtful and just right as Baby. There's also some eloquence, although most of it is supplied by the wonderful vintage pop songs.
You are likely to leave Dirty Dancing feeling good about what happens to the characters and longing to dance as they do.
This '80s classic transcends cynicism to give warm-fuzzies the world over.
Bits of good acting aren't enough to overcome the bogus elements at the center of the story, though, or the overcooked melodrama that grows from them.
A hip-shaking guilty pleasure.
Guilty pleasure: Fluffy, schmaltzy and predicatble, this coming of age tale, set at a turing point of American culture, is extremely enjoyable due to erotic dancing and Oscar-winning tunes (just disregard the stereotypes and cliches).
Teenage titillation for girls, circa 1963.
Against all odds on the night of the Event, she steps up and shows the world that Baby can dance and only pictures this awful gross that much money.
An animated rendering of its characters is virtually the only thing preventing the formulaic Dirty Dancing from being another one of Disney's crappy romances.
The purest spirit of the 1980s is distilled in this amiable film.
Endlessly quotable, strangely fascinating and immensely charming.
Audience Reviews for Dirty Dancing
Super Reviewer
Movies Like Dirty Dancing
-
- Penny Johnson: Johnny, what are you doin'?
- Johnny Castle: Don't worry about Max, I'll tell him your grandmother died or somethin'.
- Penny Johnson: How many times have you told me never get mixed up with them?
- Johnny Castle: I know what I'm doin', Penny.
- Penny Johnson: You listen to me, you gotta stop it, now!
-
- Johnny Castle: Fight harder, huh? I don't see you fightin' so hard, Baby. I don't see you runnin' up to daddy tellin' him I'm your guy.
-
- Frances "Baby" Houseman: Oh, yes, as a matter of fact it is. We're supposed to do the show in two days, you won't show me the lifts, I'm not sure of the turns, I'm doin' all this to save your ass, what I really wanna do is drop you on it!
-
- Robbie Gould: I didn't blow a summer haulin' toasted bagels just to bail out some little chicks who probably balled every guy in the place.
-
- Max Kellerman: I want you girls to know if it were not for this man, I'd be standin' here dead.
-
- Johnny Castle: Nobody puts Baby in a corner.
Discussion Forum
What's Hot On RT
New Desolation of Smaug trailer!
Naomi Watts is Princess Di
The Hangover 3, The Purge, and More
Trailer for a squirrely heist flick
See what's on TV tonight
Latest News on Dirty Dancing
September 14, 2011:
Now You Can Play Dirty Dancing: The Game on Facebook"Everyone who has ever wanted to be a part of those magical times in the Catskills can now have the...
August 29, 2011:
The Dirty Dancing Remake Has a WriterAnd it's Maria Maggenti, most recently in theaters with "Monte Carlo."
August 12, 2011:
Weekly Ketchup: Dirty Dancing Remake in the WorksThe dog days of August continue for Hollywood, as this is another Weekly Ketchup where the Rotten...
Fresh Links
Featured
Halloween Movies For Wimps
Scary movies too scary for you? Here are some alternatives for October 31st.
10 Best Superhero TV Shows
HitFix combs through TV history to compile a superpowered list.
Ridiculous Movie Mistakes
RollingStone proves even the best movies miss a details here and there.
Deadly Movie Kids
Moviefone lists 11 Movie Kids Who Could Kick Our Asses.
50 States, 50 Movies
For July 4th, TimeOut has compiled 50 state-specific movie choices.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Featured on RT
- RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: The Hangover Part III, The Purge, and More 11
- Primetime Preview: Beauty and the Beast, Sleepy Hollow and More 0
- NYFF: Joaquin Phoenix and James Gray talk The Immigrant 2
- Box Office Guru Wrapup: Gravity Stuns with Record $55M Launch 80
- Primetime Preview: Witches of East End, Once Upon a Time and More 3
- Weekly Ketchup: Disney Plans Live Action Cruella de Vil Movie 37
- Primetime Preview: Last Man Standing, The Neighbors and More 5
Top Headlines
-
Fox Animated Series, ABC Comedies Tumble in Sunday Ratings
0
-
Bong Joon-ho Reportedly "Furious" About Snowpiercer Cuts
0
-
Record-Setting Number of Films Competing in Foreign-Language Oscar Race
0
-
Woody Allen Cancels Blue Jasmine's India Premiere
1
-
Lionsgate Wants Gary Ross and Jennifer Lawrence's Burial Rites
1
-
ABC Plans Kevin Hart-Inspired Series
0
-
The Shining's Danny Torrance Is All Grown Up
1
Foreign Titles
- Dirty Dancing (CA)
- Baile caliente (ES)
Decided I would re watch this movie. I last watched it when I was 13 and that was under duress as my nan and auntie were drooling over Patrick Swayze in a quite disturbing manner. I couldn't see it, and I still can't, really.
It's a nice enough little story and the leads are good, although they don't necessarily look good together. The many dance scenes are pretty cheesy. I found most of it pretty embarrassing (for them) in all honesty, rather than hot. Patrick in that black top thing with his hair slicked back. Oh please!
Still, it was watchable and my original rating may have been harsh and due to the dubbing of Patrick as "next year's man" (as my 13 year old self was clearly not old enough to appreciate his hotness). No, didn't happen, but I did come to appreciate him as an actor in his later years and he did seem to be a nice person too).
Inoffensive quite sweet story that I don't think I will watch a 3rd time.