This huge hit that came out of nowhere in 1990 looks pretty silly in retrospect.
Because "Dirty Dancing" was such a big hit, people made the mistake of thinking that Patrick Swayze could actually act and began casting him in roles that required it. His eager attempts at emoting coupled with his ridiculous coif haircut are good for a chuckle or two. Speaking of haircuts, who thought it was a good idea to make Demi Moore look like a little boy? The love scene between Swayze and Moore is both embarrassing and icky, embarrassing because they rub clay all over each other and icky because Moore looks like Pinocchio.
The only person who salvages the movie is Whoopi Goldberg, playing a fake medium who ends up being a real medium after all. Goldberg's crowd-pleasing performance won her an Oscar, and if anything about the film deserved an Oscar, God knows it was her.
And I never want to hear "Unchained Melody" again....
Grade: C
Because "Dirty Dancing" was such a big hit, people made the mistake of thinking that Patrick Swayze could actually act and began casting him in roles that required it. His eager attempts at emoting coupled with his ridiculous coif haircut are good for a chuckle or two. Speaking of haircuts, who thought it was a good idea to make Demi Moore look like a little boy? The love scene between Swayze and Moore is both embarrassing and icky, embarrassing because they rub clay all over each other and icky because Moore looks like Pinocchio.
The only person who salvages the movie is Whoopi Goldberg, playing a fake medium who ends up being a real medium after all. Goldberg's crowd-pleasing performance won her an Oscar, and if anything about the film deserved an Oscar, God knows it was her.
And I never want to hear "Unchained Melody" again....
Grade: C