I Watched Dirty Dancing For The First Time After Actively Avoiding It For Most Of My Life

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As a huge fan of ’80s movies, I feel like I’ve watched classics like *The Blues Brothers*, *Ferris Bueller’s Day Off*, and *Field of Dreams* a million times. But there are always a few that somehow slipped past me. *Dirty Dancing* was definitely one of those – I actually went out of my way to avoid it for years (I’ll explain why later!), but when I saw it was coming to Netflix in 2025, I thought, ‘Okay, it’s time to finally check this one out!’

I hadn’t actually watched *Dirty Dancing* before, but I definitely knew *of* it. Everyone recognizes the famous line, ‘Nobody puts Baby in a corner,’ and the incredible lift between Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze is a classic moment from the 80s. Still, I wasn’t entirely sure what the movie was about when I decided to watch it on Netflix and see Johnny and Baby’s romance for myself.

Why I Actively Avoided Dirty Dancing For So Long

Although the age gap between the characters in *Dirty Dancing* might prevent a movie like it from being made now, that wasn’t the reason I avoided the 1987 film. Many movies from the ’80s had issues, and I’m just glad things are different today.

My connection to the film was a bit of a coincidence. *Dirty Dancing* follows Frances “Baby” Houseman and her family during a summer at the fancy Kellerman’s resort. It turns out Baby’s sister has the same first and last name as mine – just with a slightly different spelling!

It was especially noticeable when we were both in college – I’m a year older, so we overlapped. People would often introduce me as “Lisa’s sister” until they suddenly realized I was the one from the *Dirty Dancing* performance.

Oh my gosh! You’re Lisa Houseman’s sister! You’re Baby! Hi, Baby!

Please, make it stop.

I’d often hear shouts of “It’s Baby!” echoing across campus. Even people I didn’t know well would ask if someone was making me watch the movie against my will. Since *Dirty Dancing* is a film you can enjoy repeatedly, it felt like this happened every time someone felt like rewatching it.

Thankfully, those days are over, and I felt comfortable enough to finally watch the movie without worrying about being given a silly nickname. So I started watching.

Baby Addresses Her Nickname Immediately In Dirty Dancing

Honestly, I was really annoyed about missing out on what I’d heard was an amazing dance movie because of the whole ‘Baby’ nickname thing – I’m a huge fan of dance movies, so it was a big deal! But what I *didn’t* expect was for the movie itself to actually acknowledge how silly it was for a seventeen-year-old to still be called ‘Baby’. I was totally caught off guard when Jennifer Grey’s character brought it up right away, in the very first thing she narrates!

That was the summer of 1963, when everybody called me ‘Baby,’ and it didn’t occur to me to mind.

It’s a small detail, and it doesn’t reappear until the movie’s finale when Johnny introduces Baby as his partner for the last dance. However, I still found it impactful, especially in what Johnny said when he announced them.

I’m excited to be dancing with an incredible partner, Frances Houseman. She’s a phenomenal dancer, but more importantly, she’s shown me the importance of standing up for what’s right, even when it’s difficult. She’s truly inspired me and helped me become the person I aspire to be.

Honestly, I’m finding myself surprisingly okay with everything going on between them, and I don’t really want to overthink it. But something else about *Dirty Dancing* has been on my mind, so let’s talk about that instead.

I Was Underwhelmed By The ‘Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner’ Moment

The famous line, ‘Nobody puts Baby in a corner,’ has become more well-known than the actual scene in the movie. I’d heard the quote so many times that I anticipated the moment itself being more significant. It doesn’t seem like Baby’s parents were intentionally trying to isolate her – she just happened to be standing in a corner when Johnny said it.

I get why people want Baby to be herself and not hold back, but I don’t think her parents were upset about the dancing. They were worried about their teenage daughter spending the night with a 25-year-old man who was known for being flirtatious with the married women at this exclusive resort. It seems unfair to criticize Jake and Marge for being protective in that situation, especially considering the man’s behavior.

I expected to see way more stifling of Baby’s dreams, and if I’m honest, more actual corners.

Some quotes I’d like to retroactively nominate for Dirty Dancing’s most well-known line:

  • I’m doing all this to save your ass. What I really wanna do is drop you on it.
  • This Danish is pure protein.
  • God wouldn’t have given you maracas if he didn’t want you to shake ’em.
  • I carried a watermelon.

I didn’t understand the Danish version at all, but it was really funny. The movie has a lot of great lines, but I’d only ever known the most popular one before.

The Actual Dirty Dancing And Soundtrack Are Magical

While I wasn’t a fan of the movie’s famous line, I absolutely loved the music in *Dirty Dancing*. I enjoyed singing along to all the classic ’60s songs, from The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” at the beginning, through Otis Redding’s “These Arms of Mine,” and especially when “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” finally played.

Even though I’d seen parts of the famous dance from ‘Dirty Dancing’ before, it was much more enjoyable to see it as part of the whole movie. I was surprised to learn that Jennifer Grey hadn’t agreed to do the lift until the day they actually filmed it! They made it look effortless, like they’d practiced it many times.

I especially enjoyed the secret dance party Baby stumbled into, complete with her iconic watermelon! A movie called *Dirty Dancing* needs to deliver on the dance front, and director Emile Ardolino and choreographer Kenny Ortega absolutely did, filling the film with impressive moves and incredibly flexible dancers.

I’m Glad I Finally Allowed Dirty Dancing Into My Life

I really enjoyed *Dirty Dancing*. The story, romance, dancing, and music all came together to exceed my expectations, and it’s easy to see why it’s considered one of the best movies of the 80s and a classic dance film.

I’m glad I didn’t watch it sooner, actually. Part of what I enjoyed most was being able to experience *Dirty Dancing* without anyone teasing me about being called ‘Baby’! You can now stream it on Netflix.

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2025-10-15 01:52