4 Reasons the Dirty Dancing Remake is Actually A Good Story
I know, I’m late.
The 2017 remake of the 1987 classic “Dirty Dancing” aired on broadcast television on May 24, 2017 and I am just now getting around to seeing it. For those in the cyber universe, my lateness to the game would probably be considered a blessing. Why would I willingly put myself through two plus hours of bland writing, negative chemistry, and musical numbers that don’t make sense, and furthermore, don’t belong, they would ask.
I’ve watched the remake three times in the course of a week. The reason for this is in part due to the free replays available through Amazon Prime, but even more so because of the unreasonable amount of disparaging comments regarding casting and acting choices from YouTubers. Here are just a few:
“This is the worst remake ever. This low budget disappointment needs to be thrown in the trash. They ruined a great movie.”
“These two actors have absolutely no chemistry. It’s so awkward and hard to watch.”
“Abigail Breslin is a really big girl, too fat for this role. Of course the sex scene would be cut out because no one would want to see a fat girl getting it.”
This movie was so long because they decided to give every character you never cared about in the original a new backstory.”
To be frank, these comments disgust me. While reading and/or listening to each one, all I could picture were petulant children throwing tantrums because someone had broken their favorite toys. I understand that “Dirty Dancing” is a classic film, with die-hard fans, myself included. But I also understand that I do not own the film. The original script is not mine. I did not think up the characters of Baby and Johnny or even Lisa and Penny. I did not create the story, nor did I have any say in deciding the motivations behind each characters’ actions.
The film is not my creation, and as such, I don’t have a right to go around crying about how it was ruined. Furthermore, and even more importantly, I certainly do not have the right to go around fat shaming and degrading actors who have the guts to play characters that none of us ever could.
I am a die-hard fan of “Dirty Dancing”. Apart from “The Breakfast Club”, it is my favorite movie of all time. I remember watching it with my mother for the first time when I was ten years old. I remember asking for a copy of the DVD version one Christmas during my teen years, and you can almost always find me tuning in on the days when I discover that it’s on television.
I have a copy of the soundtrack, know the lyrics to each song, and can recite character lines verbatim.
The remake of “Dirty Dancing” will never match the original, obviously. It’ s a story all its own and I honestly believe that many of the comments by reviewers are misplaced. As a result, I have decided to use this article as an opportunity to break some of these comments down and offer a new perspective. While they were originally written as negative, let’s take a look at their positive counterpoints.
1. This low budget disappointment is a piece of trash. They ruined a great movie.
While the movie is low budget, it is not a piece of trash. Nor did they ruin a great movie. Viewers have to remember that this remake was not made for those of us who have seen the original. It was made for younger audiences, ones who have been brought up with movies like “High School Musical”, “Camp Rock”, and “The Cheetah Girls”, as well as shows like “Glee” and “The Voice”. Musicals are hot right now, and can any of us blame ABC for getting on that bandwagon? Businesses follow trends; it’s what sells.
Furthermore, no one ruined the original movie, because, guess what, it still exists! Cable owners can access it on Freeform’s on demand channel at no charge. Most public libraries have multiple copies. Amazon sells single copies for $3.99. YouTube has a collection of the sexiest scenes from the original — plus deleted scenes, and original actors screen tests — that users can reach with one click.
If you’re one of those people who claims to hate the remake and just cannot accept that it exists, go watch the original! That’s why it’s there!
Plus, any true “Dirty Dancing” fan would never allow their young family members to watch the remake without having them watch the original first, am I right?!
2. The two actors have no chemistry. It’s so awkward and hard to watch.
This comment is probably the one that I saw the most. Commenters upon commenters claim that lead actors, Abigail Breslin and Colt Prattes have no chemistry. While I do believe the chemistry was inconsistent — their romance was believable during the first meeting scene and the morning after scene, but not so much during the final dance scene, for example — it was definitely present. Unlike Swayze’s Johnny and Grey’s Baby, Prattes and Breslin’s interpretations seemed more honest. What they lacked in sexuality, they made up for in genuineness. Their characters took the time to get to know one another, having deep conversations about their lives, and figuring out the motivations behind their separate, individual actions.
You can see the care every time they look into each other’s eyes on screen.
3. Abigail Breslin was horribly miscast. She’s too fat and ugly for this role, and of course the sex scene was cut because no one would want to see a fat girl getting it.
I honestly find this comment appalling. First of all, the fact that reviewers have taken it upon themselves to fat shame Abigail Breslin shows both a lack of intelligence and human decency. The media continuously under-represents women (and men) of differing body types. Breslin’s casting sends a message that societal standards of beauty are not the only standards.
Secondly, I loved Breslin in this role because, for the first time, I felt as though I was actually watching a real woman on the screen, someone to whom I could relate. In this version, Baby is an awkward character. She doesn’t know how to dance, and honestly never really learns, but she has a good heart and genuinely wants to help, despite the fact that she doesn’t know the best way, or have all the answers like she thinks she does. She’s attracted to this guy who is older than her, and it’s awkward to watch her dance with him because, well, she’s awkward, and doesn’t really feel comfortable exploring her sexual side. The dancing between the two characters looks stiff because learning to trust someone you barely know isn’t easy.
In the original movie, Baby comes to Johnny’s room and, in a moment of passion, practically screams at him that she never wants to go another moment without feeling that way she does when she is with him. While compelling, that original moment wouldn’t have been realistic for Breslin’s character who “reads a lot” and is “the smart one” or who wants to spend time “reading books all summer.”
Breslin’s interpretation was cautious and honest. Her responses to Johnny are realistic. When he asks her why she wants to dance in the end of summer talent show she says, “Because it’s good for the brain to learn new things. It keeps you from getting senile.” This sentence is awkward, sure, but what was she going to say? I have a crush on you and think you’re really hot so want to spend time with you. Oh, and yeah, I want to learn to dance because I’m tired of just being smart all the time and everyone thinking I’m just some shy bookworm.
I always thought that what Breslin’s character truly meant was some version of the above. But no one would really say that because it’s awkward and creepy and a tad stalkerish. Instead, her character says something non-committal.
To me, Breslin portrayed Baby as realistically as she could, given the material and time frame. Her character was fearless enough not be completely boring, but also cautious enough to be relatable as someone who was testing her boundaries and trying to figure who she was and who she wanted to be.
4. The movie was so long because they decided to give every character you never cared about a new backstory.
First of all, who said I never cared about the other characters?! Secondly, I found the new backstories to be one of the most interesting parts of the entire project. I understand that most fans would argue that the Lisa’s vapid behavior and Neil’s arrogant, condescending, and slightly rapist attitude, in the original only enhance the chemistry between Baby and Johnny, however, I appreciated their more supportive slants in this version. The characters were refreshingly complex, with each sister providing the other with a perspective that she lacked. Lisa’s feminine power rubbed off on Baby, and vice versa, by the end of the movie Lisa embraced some of Baby’s independence. The sisters supported each other as they learned to approach life from new perspectives.
Overall, I found this movie surprisingly entertaining and engaging in it’s own way. As a stand alone movie, it has its own merits and faults, its own highs and lows. I found myself rooting for this Baby and Johnny as much as I rooted for the original, and believe that if viewers could detach from their emotions for just a second, they may find it worth a second chance.
