Dirty Dancing

A summer of love and dance ignites in the Catskills, where social classes collide.

Critics broadly value the winsome performances, memorable choreography, and powerful soundtrack, while acknowledging that the romantic plot and social conflicts can feel simplistic or predictable.

• Baby Houseman, the daughter of an affluent doctor, falls for working-class dance instructor Johnny Castle despite their families and social worlds being sharply divided.
• Baby learns Johnny's dance routine as their partnership develops into mutual trust, desire, and love.
• Baby helps Penny obtain an illegal abortion, and the resulting medical crisis drives the family's moral and emotional conflict.
• The Catskills vacation resort separates affluent guests from working staff while allowing Baby to observe and challenge that hierarchy.

• Flashdancecoming-of-age romance, class differences, and emotionally charged dance-centered storytelling
• Footloose1980s romantic drama built around music, performance, and a determined young woman challenging social expectations
• West Side Storypassionate interracial or class-crossing romance shaped by dance, family opposition, and social boundaries
• A Walk to Remembernostalgic summer romance with youthful self-discovery and a strong emotional soundtrack

Director

Emile Ardolino

Release Date

1987-08-21

Runtime

100 min

Rating

7.3 / 10 (6732)

What is Dirty Dancing about?

A sheltered teenager discovers desire, social injustice, and her own independence through a forbidden romance with a working-class dance instructor at a 1963 Catskills resort.

What is Dirty Dancing like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dirty Dancing as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Dirty Dancing violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Dirty Dancing.

What did critics think of Dirty Dancing?

Critics broadly value the winsome performances, memorable choreography, and powerful soundtrack, while acknowledging that the romantic plot and social conflicts can feel simplistic or predictable.

Which films are like Dirty Dancing?

Films with a similar feel include Flashdance, Footloose, West Side Story, and A Walk to Remember.

How long is Dirty Dancing?

Dirty Dancing runs 100 minutes.

Where can I watch Dirty Dancing?

In United States, Dirty Dancing streams on fuboTV, Philo, YouTube TV, Sling TV Orange and Blue, Pluto TV.