Movie- Dirty Dancing

#5 Best Jewish Musical

Profile
Came out in 1987
Running time of 1 hour and 45 minutes
Rated PG-13
Available on VHS and DVD
Directed by Emile Ardolino
Written by Eleanor Bergstein
Main Stars: Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Cynthia Rhodes, Jerry Orbach

Memorable Songs: Time of Your Life; She's Like the Wind; Be My Baby; Hungry Eyes; Love is Strange

What's it all about:
The film depicts a summer in the Catskills in the late sixties for the Houseman family. In particular, the film focuses on the journey that the youngest Houseman daughter, Baby, takes from a girl into a young woman. On her journey, Baby will become close to a young dance instructor from the wrong side of the tracks, who will teach her how to love and become a strong independent woman.

Why I Recommend It:
1 - The depiction of the Catskills. There is no other film that I can think of that encompasses the way the Catskills used to be than in Dirty Dancing. From the dining hall to the activities, the film captures the essence of the Catskills (even the way the area was until the early eighties). The family would stay in the Catskills for the entire summer, while the husbands would go to work in the city during the week and return to the Catskills on the weekend. This is the case in the film, when Dr. Houseman would be there on the weekends.

2 - The coming of age story. Baby's journey is a universal one that most young women can identify with.

Distinguishing Jewish Appeal:
1 - The depiction of what is implied to be a Jewish hotel in the Catskills as well as the implied Jewish patrons and families that reside in the hotel over the summer.

Of Note:
1- Even though the film depicts a fictional hotel in the Catskills, the film was actually shot in the Virginia/Carolina area of the U.S.

2 - Patrick Swayze makes his singing debut with She's Like the Wind, which was one of the hit songs of the film.

3 - Jennifer Grey is the daughter of actor Joel Grey. Years after the film, Jennifer Grey got a nose job that completely changed the make-up of her face and her appearance. In recent years, she appeared as herself on the TV show, It's Like You Know, where she would make fun of affects of her nose job.

4 - Cynthia Rhodes is married to singer Richard Marx, who recently wrote the number one hit song, This I Promise You, for *NSYNC.

5 - Wayne Knight has a small role in the film. He is known best for his role as Newman on Seinfeld.
6 - DJ Cousin Brucie also has a small role in the film. He can still be heard on WCBS FM in NYC.

Added: December 22nd 2003
Reviewer: Sandy Chertok
Score:
Related Link: Buy it
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Language: english