So in order to publish a review that was actually coherent and flowed properly like any piece of legible text should, there were some other issues I had with Dirty Dancing that I couldn't fit into the main review. Rather than leave them to rot away in the corner of my brain where I file all the horrible things I have witnessed, I thought that perhaps I should let the world share in my confused anguish. There may be some issues discussed that could be considered spoilers, so you have been warned.
Why is it even called "Dirty Dancing"?
So the FAQ section on the films IMDb page (which is probably less reliable than wikipedia, but seemingly a good reference for this particular question) gives a general description of what is meant by the term "Dirty Dancing" - something along the lines of dancing with overtly sexual moves. Going on that definition, there is only one scene in the entire film that features dirty dancing. I find it difficult to classify anything else that involved dancing in that category. Much of it is dancing styles that are easy to teach (Johnny is a dance teacher, after all). Even the mambo, or whatever it is that he has to teach Baby (I still find it hard to write that as a name and take the movie seriously) and what they subsequently dance in the finale, is meant to be a dance of passion. And that's how they dance it. They dance it with passion, not with some overtly sexual undertones.
And don't say there's dirty dancing during the opening and closing credits, because that's just a replay of the one other scene toned in black and white. Speaking of opening titles...
Why on Earth did they go with that font for the opening titles?
That purple-pink, handwritten style they use for the opening titles is tacky, gaudy, and ludicrously difficult to read. Normally I take some note of who is in the film, just in case I recognise a name or two. In this case I couldn't even read the names, because everything just looked like pink squiggles on the screen. They didn't have to change the font completely, just to something that any normal person can read.
Why is Johnny so worried about being fired?
The guy can dance. And he can dance extremely well. If being fired is the worse thing that can happen to him when he reveals his relationship with Baby (again, stupid name), I'm pretty sure that it's not going to be too hard on him. This job at the holiday resort seems to only be a summer gig, so we can assume he's got jobs lined up for the rest of the year (otherwise it must be a hell of a well paying gig). If he can line up jobs he enjoys for the rest of the year, surely he can find something that would fill the summer months gap that would open up if he lost his job at the resort? Given his talents, it wouldn't be too hard, either.
Why is there zero security around the staff quarters?
When Baby wanders into towards the staff quarters, there is only a polite sign on a rock asking that staff only pass beyond that point. And that's it. There's no incentive beyond that. There's no gate (even one that doesn't lock would probably be fine), and there's no gate because there's no freaking fence around the quarters to keep people out. What's to stop people from approaching from off the footpath? I don't know the layout of the resort, but I doubt it'd be that hard to do, and there might even be shortcuts through the grass. If I simple sign can't stop Baby (I can't stop groaning every time I write that name) from then returning multiple times throughout her stay, it's got no chance.
Why does Baby's dancing ability appear to regress multiple times throughout the second act?
So when Baby finally gets her big chance to dance her little heart out with Johnny on stage, she must be trained up, so queue the obligatory training montage! Except, this entire montage seems to consist of Baby repeatedly screwing up by stepping on Johnny's feet. Seriously, that's the only mistake she seems to make, and she continuously makes it throughout the montage. She's seen practising down some stairs and over a bridge over what I assume are multiple days, and she clearly gets better and better in her ability, only to then afterwards step on his feet again. I was confused by whether she was meant to be getting good or not. She can clearly dance, and if you can dance down some stairs outside then I'm pretty sure timing isn't going to be an issue for you anymore, but clearly it is. She makes it through her first onstage gig, and then seems to regress again. I could just never keep tabs on where she was with her skills.
Why the hell does the jazz band have a tap dancing conductor?
I get that this is supposed to be a resort where there's entertainment everywhere, but isn't this going just a bit too far?
To quote the trivia section of the film on TV Tropes: When the film was screened for Aaron Russo, a producer at Vestron Pictures, his reaction to the film was "Burn the negative and collect the insurance."
So why didn't they?
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