Our Daily Trailer: DIRTY DANCING

Thanks to Screen Crush for reminding us that it's Dirty Dancing's 25th anniversary today! Dirty Dancing has always been one of my favorite movies. This is no guilty pleasure, but instead a wholehearted admiration for a film that I still find powerfully moving today.

Baby is a wonderful character, a young woman who is strong-willed and courageous. She is honest, smart, ambitious and she has integrity in spades. Patrick Swayze gives one of the most sincere and touching performances of his career; I will always be in love with Johnny Castle. Jerry Orbach is charming and solemn as ever. The movie has a kick-ass motown soundtrack (interspersed with a few anachronistic '80s hits) and a series of absolutely banging dance scenes. And perhaps most importantly, Dirty Dancing has a non-judgmental, classism-free message that I hold dear. After all, Penny is a graceful, beloved character who chooses to have an abortion. That's rare even today. 

So happy 25th to this sweet, sentimental, earnest movie that has stood the test of time with poise. I will never forget the way I felt the first time I saw the below clip. It's when I first learned what sexy is. 

(Apologies for the weird aspect ratio - this is the best version I could find.)