If the ending of Eleanor Bergstein's script is too neat and inspirational, the rough energy of the film's song and dance does carry one along, past the whispered doubts of better judgment.
The dancing here brings out the sensual dreaminess of the songs. Dirty Dancing -- what a great title! -- is such a bubbleheaded, retro vision of growing up in the sixties (or any other time) that you go out of the theatre giggling happily.
Daily Telegraph (UK)
December 18, 2014
What seems an enjoyable piece of fluff about a summer camp romance is, in its own quiet way, a powerful morality tale.
This is a shapely film, considered and concise. And if its rhetorical slickness eventually covers up its emotional core, that slickness has a pleasure of its own.
Although the plot is sometimes implausible, the movie's music, dancing and romantic spirit carry a lot of it. In addition, Dirty Dancing has the virtues of a female main character (a bit unusual in a coming-of-age movie) and an interesting setting.
It's a sweet, lyrical movie with plenty of musical nostalgia. But more importantly, Dirty Dancing has an uplifting message of hope that can be found only in the dreams of the young.
