Dirty Dancing is perhaps one of the most iconic movies ever. There are too many photos to count of that iconic lift. The plot is focused around Frances “Baby” Houseman, played by Jennifer Grey, and Johnny Castle, played by Patrick Swayze. Johnny is a dance instructor at a summer resort in the Catskills, where Baby is vacationing with her family. Throughout the film, we not only get to watch their relationship develop from strangers to something deeper, but we also get to see the personal evolution of Baby as a young woman.
One of the first things that stuck out to us about Baby was a comment she made in narration.
One of the first things that stuck out to us about Baby was a comment she made in narration.
That was the summer of 1963 - when everybody called me Baby, and it didn't occur to me to mind."
We really liked how right off the bat she was questioning how derogatory or demeaning calling someone “Baby” can be. This comment also helped set the tone for how to look at Baby. She was a young woman who was still learning how the world worked and had a lot of life left to experience. We like Baby as a character. We particularly like how she didn’t just act like a naive little girl the entire time. She was curious and though eager to please, she grew to be independent. By the end of the film, she wasn’t just Daddy’s little girl anymore.
Baby realized there was more to life than how she was raised. Suddenly she discovered a new side to herself. She realized she liked being a more rebellious. She liked flirting with attractive men and wearing makeup. She liked doing things for herself and not just because it’s what’s expected of her. She hated disappointing her Dad, but once she discovered a new way of life she couldn’t just act like nothing ever happened.
Baby started out not really knowing how to act around Johnny Castle. This was partially because he was attractive and that made her nervous, and partially because she had never been in such a sensual environment. Perhaps one of the most relatable moments of the film happened when she told Johnny “I carried a watermelon” and then shook her head after for not having anything better to say to the cute dance instructor.
Baby started out not really knowing how to act around Johnny Castle. This was partially because he was attractive and that made her nervous, and partially because she had never been in such a sensual environment. Perhaps one of the most relatable moments of the film happened when she told Johnny “I carried a watermelon” and then shook her head after for not having anything better to say to the cute dance instructor.
This scene is also where she first gets a taste of how freeing dance can be. The combination of Johnny Castle and the other dance instructor, Penny, teaches Baby how to dance and be confident.
Penny is another character in the movie that we admire. She is confident as a woman and helps bring that out in Baby. It’s nice to see an example of women working together to build one another up rather than tear each other down. Besides that, she also had to make the difficult and controversial decision of getting an abortion. Throughout this, not only did we see Baby jumping in without hesitation to help her, even at the risk of ruining her own reputation in her dad’s eyes, but we also see Johnny standing by Penny’s side with undying support.
Throughout the entire film, Johnny was an admirable character. Yes he was masculine, but he didn’t completely fit into the traditional mold of a male lead. He was a dance instructor, something that is often thought as a feminine profession and he treated everyone the same regardless of whether they were a man or a woman. His treatment of you depended on your behavior, not your gender.
In the beginning, Johnny often got annoyed with Baby. This was primarily just because she was insecure and lacking confidence. It was frustrating for him to work with someone so sensitive and not on his level. But as they grew to know each other more and work with each other more, he came to really respect her and the effort she put into learning the dance. Even when she got a moment of stage fright and wouldn’t do the lift at their performance, he didn’t get mad at her. He was grateful that she did it at all because he knew how hard she tried.
In the beginning, Johnny often got annoyed with Baby. This was primarily just because she was insecure and lacking confidence. It was frustrating for him to work with someone so sensitive and not on his level. But as they grew to know each other more and work with each other more, he came to really respect her and the effort she put into learning the dance. Even when she got a moment of stage fright and wouldn’t do the lift at their performance, he didn’t get mad at her. He was grateful that she did it at all because he knew how hard she tried.
Baby and Johnny ended up being protective and close with one another, so much so that Baby even stands up to her Dad about him. Even though they aren’t supposed to be together, and Johnny could lose his job over it, that doesn’t keep them apart. The care for each other and have too much fun together - in other words they like the people they are when they’re together. It’s nice to see them have such a mutually supportive relationship.
The other two prominent female characters in this film are Baby’s mom and sister. Baby’s mom, Marjorie, played by Kelly Bishop, is actually one of our favorite characters in the film. She’s funny and we appreciate her standing up for Baby and her independence at the end of the film, as well as watching her let loose and dance with the other young men of the club in that final scene. We thought it was a good reflection on her character to have her be the parent who wasn’t as strict or old fashioned.
Baby’s sister, Lisa, on the other hand is not a character that we think is the best representation of women. She’s naive and lets her emotions control all of her decisions. Essentially, she is the cliché representation that is there to contrast the progress which Baby makes throughout the film. She blindly believes that the boy from the club she’s been spending time with is the one, not realizing he’s treating multiple other girls the exact same as he treats her. She also wants to steal the show at the talent show and is vain in reality.
In his review of the film, Robert Ebert found that the clichés of the movie overpowered the story, making it hard to be sympathetic with any of the characters. He thought that the actors all gave good performances, but the plot was unoriginal and therefore he didn’t have many good things to say about the depths of the characters. Vincent Canby of the New York Times; however, had a very different impression of the movie.
He seemed to enjoy the movie, as well as the characters of Johnny and Baby. He described Baby as being “no bubble-brained teen-ager, but a bright, inquisitive young woman who's on her way to being her own person.” He also points out that her liberation comes from finding her “adult identity” through her love affair with Johnny Castle. He also made an interesting point about Johnny and how he is really a “sex-object abused by the rich women at Kellerman's Mountain House.” We were so happy that Mr. Canby made this observation because this shows another role reversal with Johnny’s character wherein usually women are the “sex-objects” that are being abused.
There was a lot going on in the Women’s Movement in the 1980s. For starters, Ronald Reagan, a man known to be against such things as abortion, became the President of the United States. In 1984 there was momentum being made in the anti abortion movement, as well as an increase in sexual harassment and discrimination between men and women in the workplace. During this time, women were also still fighting towards adding the Equal Rights Amendment to the constitution. The 80s really kicked off women fighting for diverse issues such as reproductive rights and breaking the “glass ceiling” in corporate environments. Needless to say, given the fight that was going on throughout the 80s, as well as the backlash that followed it, it’s no wonder that everyone was so protective over Penny as she went through her abortion.
Dirty Dancing does indeed pass the Bechdel Test. Much of Penny and Baby’s interactions involve either talking about dancing or the abortion, neither of which is directly focused around a man. Baby and Lisa have a scene where they talk about hair, but also a scene where they talk about sex. In this scene Lisa says that she thinks she’s ready to have sex with Robbie, and although they are discussing a boy momentarily, the main point of this conversation is focused around what having sex means and if she’s really ready for it or not. All this adds up to Dirty Dancing passing the Bechdel Test.
In his review of the film, Robert Ebert found that the clichés of the movie overpowered the story, making it hard to be sympathetic with any of the characters. He thought that the actors all gave good performances, but the plot was unoriginal and therefore he didn’t have many good things to say about the depths of the characters. Vincent Canby of the New York Times; however, had a very different impression of the movie.
He seemed to enjoy the movie, as well as the characters of Johnny and Baby. He described Baby as being “no bubble-brained teen-ager, but a bright, inquisitive young woman who's on her way to being her own person.” He also points out that her liberation comes from finding her “adult identity” through her love affair with Johnny Castle. He also made an interesting point about Johnny and how he is really a “sex-object abused by the rich women at Kellerman's Mountain House.” We were so happy that Mr. Canby made this observation because this shows another role reversal with Johnny’s character wherein usually women are the “sex-objects” that are being abused.
There was a lot going on in the Women’s Movement in the 1980s. For starters, Ronald Reagan, a man known to be against such things as abortion, became the President of the United States. In 1984 there was momentum being made in the anti abortion movement, as well as an increase in sexual harassment and discrimination between men and women in the workplace. During this time, women were also still fighting towards adding the Equal Rights Amendment to the constitution. The 80s really kicked off women fighting for diverse issues such as reproductive rights and breaking the “glass ceiling” in corporate environments. Needless to say, given the fight that was going on throughout the 80s, as well as the backlash that followed it, it’s no wonder that everyone was so protective over Penny as she went through her abortion.
Dirty Dancing does indeed pass the Bechdel Test. Much of Penny and Baby’s interactions involve either talking about dancing or the abortion, neither of which is directly focused around a man. Baby and Lisa have a scene where they talk about hair, but also a scene where they talk about sex. In this scene Lisa says that she thinks she’s ready to have sex with Robbie, and although they are discussing a boy momentarily, the main point of this conversation is focused around what having sex means and if she’s really ready for it or not. All this adds up to Dirty Dancing passing the Bechdel Test.
Dirty Dancing is a classic film and it isn’t hard to see why. It is a movie filled with strong and relatable characters, and is also obviously a fun dance movie perfect for hopeless romantics and pessimists alike. We really enjoyed watching Dirty Dancing, one may even go so far as to say we had the time of our lives.
Sources
"A Brief History of Women's Rights Movements | Scholastic.com." Scholastic Teachers. Scholastic, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
Canby, Vincent. "FILM: 'DIRTY DANCING,' A CATSKILLS ROMANCE IN 1963." New York Times. New York Times, 21 Aug. 1987. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
"Dirty Dancing (1987)." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
Ebert, Robert. "Dirty Dancing." Robert Ebert. N.p., 21 Aug. 1987. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
"Quotes." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
"The Reagan Years: 1980s: Advancement & Backlash for Women's Movement." The Reagan Years: 1980s: Advancement & Backlash for Women's Movement. Oakland Museum of California, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
"Women's Rights Movements." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Online, 2014. Web. 1 July 2014. 19 Apr. 2016.
"A Brief History of Women's Rights Movements | Scholastic.com." Scholastic Teachers. Scholastic, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
Canby, Vincent. "FILM: 'DIRTY DANCING,' A CATSKILLS ROMANCE IN 1963." New York Times. New York Times, 21 Aug. 1987. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
"Dirty Dancing (1987)." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
Ebert, Robert. "Dirty Dancing." Robert Ebert. N.p., 21 Aug. 1987. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
"Quotes." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
"The Reagan Years: 1980s: Advancement & Backlash for Women's Movement." The Reagan Years: 1980s: Advancement & Backlash for Women's Movement. Oakland Museum of California, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
"Women's Rights Movements." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Online, 2014. Web. 1 July 2014. 19 Apr. 2016.