Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2066 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-07-02
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 100 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
As with Grease (1978) and Footloose (1984) before it, Dirty Dancing was a cultural phenomenon that now plays more like camp. That very campiness, though, is part of its biggest charm. And if the dancing in the movie doesn't seem particularly "dirty" by today's standards--or 1987's--it does take place in an era (the early '60s) when it would have. Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey, daughter of ageless hoofer Joel Grey), vacationing in the Catskills with her family one summer, falls under the sway (as it were) of dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). Baby is a pampered pup, but Johnny is a man of the world. Baby's father Jake can't see the basic decency in greaser Johnny that she can. It should come as no surprise to find that Baby, who can be as immature as her name, learns more about love and life--and dancing--from free-spirited Johnny than traditionalist Jake. Dirty Dancing spawned two successful soundtracks, a short-lived TV series and a stage musical. It may be predictable, but Grey and Swayze have chemistry, charisma and all the right moves. It's a sometimes silly movie with occasionally mind-boggling dialogue--"No one puts Baby in a corner!"--that nonetheless carries an underlying message about tolerance and is filled with the kind of exuberant spirit that is hard for even the most cynical to resist. Not that they would ever admit it. --Kathy Fennessy

On the DVD: The information outlined on the package makes the special features appear very appealing: you too could "Learn to Dirty Dance". However, all the DVD actually teaches you is how to move from side to side with a slow "cha cha cha"--not exactly "dirty". Other additional features include the obligatory scene selection and a directors commentary from Eleanor Bergstein, offers interesting snippets of trivia, but overall is dull and stuttering. There's also the original theatrical trailer plus a very poor selection of filmographies for the cast and crew which (none of whom aside from Swayze ever amounted to much) which is difficult to read due to the italic scrawl they insist on using across the whole features section. That being said with a 1.78:1 ratio and Dolby Digital 5.1 this release is the closest you will get to reliving those 1980s school discos and back-seat cinema rows. --Nikki Disney

DVD Description
DVD Special Features:

Learn to Dirty Dance
Audio Commentary from Creator "Eleanor Bergstein"
Filmographies
Closed Captioned English Subtitles
Trailer

Synopsis
Headstrong 17-year-old Baby Houseman hardly expects her family's usual summer vacation in the Catskills to be momentous. But then Baby spies Johnny Castle, the resort's dance instructor from the wrong side of the tracks. Johnny's facing a crisis: his dance partner and friend Penny is pregnant and has reluctantly decided to get an abortion. This leaves Johnny a solo act--until Baby agrees to take Penny's place. She has to learn how to dance first, however, and as Johnny teaches her the choreography's sexy, seductive moves, the two fall in love. But Baby's father believes that Johnny is the creep who got Penny pregnant, and he furiously orders Baby to end the relationship. Baby knows that Johnny's innocent--and with her feisty idealism and his dance talent, the two will prove to Baby's father that their love is worth fighting for.

Customer Reviews

Perfect for the girl's night in!
Myself and several of my classmates skipped school one afternoon and went into the city to see this flick. At the age of 13, this was the perfect film about defying your parents and finding first, forbidden, love.

Patrick Swayze, with his tight jeans and bouffant hair, was just a God. We all wanted to be Baby - in fact, if I remember correctly, I wanted to have his babies!! I had a list of names written out and everything - cringe!!

Myself and those same classmates still watch this movie regularly - with tonnes of popcorn and chocolates, for that perfect chick's night in.

This time around though, there are as many laughs as swoons. The dialogue is sooooo cheezy. 'When are you goin' to tell your Paw that I'm your man?!' and of course the wonderful play/pause/rewind 'Nobody puts Baby in a corner' that always has us in hysterics. I also love the end 'spontaneous' dance sequence, where everyone knows the steps, and Baby is left sashaying on the stage, alone, grinning like a muppet.

Now I look at the movie with an adult's eye, and I realise that really Baby would have tired of Johnny within a week, because apart from being damn sexy, he was also plain dumb. But it's great to revisit that time in your life when all you wanted from a movie was escapism, some good toons, and a big slice of beefcake!

Ah, the memories.

Loved it!!!
This is one of my absolute all time favourites and I still can't figure out why!! Is it the great music, corny dialogue, fantastic moves, Patrick Swayze's back, or could it be simply that I do enjoy a good old cheesy, "the good guys always win", predictable Hollywood ending. The storyline will definitely not test the old grey matter with vague symbolic inferences nor will it enthrall you with artistic direction and camera techniques, but if you're wanting a wet and miserable Sunday afternoon, "nothing else to watch on telly" kind of movie then this is it.
It's a must for everyone's video collection....you may even want to try out the moves yourself after you've watched it enough times!!

I wanna dance!!!
It's starts as a cute story about Baby, who's name is really Francis, who is on holiday with her rich parents and her older sister. There she meets a dancer, Johnny, played by the handsome Patrick Swayze, and there's an imidiate attraction between them. When his dancepartner, Penny, gets pragnent, Baby sees this as her chance to "make the world a better place" and voluenteers to take the place as Johnny's partner in a dance contest. There's lots of hard work and dancing ahead, where Johnny is trying his best to learn Baby how do dance. But they represent two different social circles, Johnny's poor and Baby's rich, and that is meant to cause trouble...

I don't know how many times I've watched this movie, but no matter how many times I'll watch it, I know I'll still love it and keep it among my favourites. Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze has a chemistry you will notice right away. It does look like they're having the time of their lives! And in addition, the music and the dancing will take your breath away!
I highly recommend it to everyone. One thing's for sure... I would love to learn how to dance like that!!!