Dead on arrival, live at the box-office: Dirty Dancing and other sleepers
August: Meteorologically speaking, the dog days; cinematically speaking, the dog-meat days. It’s the month that studios dump films they have little confidence in but are obligated contractually to show in theaters.
Dirty Dancing, released 25 years ago this week, is one such film. Here’s the story behind the movie that one producer thought should be burned in order to recoup the insurance money. Some other August released sent out with low expectations greeted with high box-office returns: Babe, Clueless, The Sixth Sense and Stand by Me. Some others, not August releases, include There’s Something About Mary (a July release) and Rocky (December).
I’m always fascinated by the sagas of how so many orphaned films are adopted universally, for instance, Rocky. The moral of every sleeper story is that “Nobody know anything,” as William Goldman ever reminds us. In the cases of Dirty Dancing and Rocky, the fact that they were genre films without stars colored the judgment of Hollywood Deciders.
Your favorite sleeper? Any insights as to why initially there was little faith in it and why it did so well?
In what could be considered and accidental precursor to the collapsed windows between availability in new media, I saw Dirty Dancing on a flight to the Telluride Film Festival about 2 weeks after it’s theatrical opening, while it was still on screens around the country. As I remember, the theatrical release date had been pushed back but not the airline date.
“Dirty Dancing” was the first film we saw when my wife and I relocated to Northern California in 1987. Although I never had the opportunity to formally review it at the time, it remains a seminal movie memory in my life – a film that I enjoy and admire for all the reasons that Carrie covers in her astute essay. Plus one other. No matter how many times I watch it (and it’s been often), I am always struck by its, for lack of a better word, chutzpah, in a certain, rather provocative area. The callous, often cruel ways in which the Jewish clientel of Kellerman’s regards the largely gentile staff of the resort still strikes me as brave and singular for a movie that is often dismissed as “lightweight.” Far from it. “Dirty Dancing” is pretty tough and uncompromising (but never preachy or obvious) in its unflattering depiction of Baby’s doctor-father (Jerry Orbach), Kellerman himself (Jack Weston) and particularly his nephew Neil (Lonny Price). It’s an aspect of the film that is rarely, if ever, mentioned and when it is, usually in whispers. I’ve often wondered if this aspect of the film was possibly an unspoken reason for the initial animosity towards it by the studio suits. Twenty-five years later, this reverse discrimination makes “Dirty Dancing” a film that is still ahead of its time. Beyond that, the music, the dancing and especially the chemistry of its two leads remain peerless for a (relatively) modern movie musical (dansical?).
“Dirty Dancing” was the first film we saw when my wife and I relocated to Northern California in 1987. Although I never had the opportunity to formally review it at the time, it remains a seminal movie memory in my life – a film that I enjoy and admire for all the reasons that Carrie covers in her astute essay. Plus one other. No matter how many times I watch it (and it’s been often), I am always struck by its, for lack of a better word, chutzpah, in a certain, rather provocative area. The callous, often cruel ways in which the Jewish clientele of Kellerman’s regards the largely gentile staff of the resort still strikes me as brave and singular for a movie that is often dismissed as “lightweight.” Far from it. “Dirty Dancing” is pretty tough and uncompromising (but never preachy or obvious) in its unflattering depiction of Baby’s doctor-father (Jerry Orbach), Kellerman himself (Jack Weston) and particularly his nephew Neil (Lonny Price). It’s an aspect of the film that is rarely, if ever, mentioned and when it is, usually in whispers. I’ve often wondered if this aspect of the film was possibly an unspoken reason for the initial animosity towards it by the studio suits. Twenty-five years later, this reverse discrimination makes “Dirty Dancing” a film that is still ahead of its time. Beyond that, the music, the dancing and especially the chemistry of its two leads remain peerless for a (relatively) modern movie musical (dancical?).
Super Bad, Tropic Thunder,Pineapple Express,and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Just to name a few.I call these my. “OMG you gotta see this movie!” movies You sorta cheer them on as they climb the box office charts.You tell those pretentious film goers ,”See I told you so!”
For the record I’ve seen Dirty Dancing so many times I have the moves and dialoge down pat
This summer has been a real letdown I am still searching for my “OMG movie” and I only have two weeks left!