Though it's a romantic comedy from the '80s, Dirty Dancing has aged surprisingly well. A number of films from that time period don't hold up when examined under a modern lens. Certain stereotypical racial or marginalized group tropes are badly outdated now and plenty of the humor of the era is wholly problematic today. In particular, the issues of how women are portrayed in '80s movies, particularly around issues of sex, consent, and autonomy, have aged incredibly poorly in a post-#MeToo era. However, there are multiple aspects of Dirty Dancing that allow it to be enjoyable and relatable to audiences today.
Dirty Dancing, originally released in 1987, is set in the summer of 1963 and focuses on Frances "Baby" Houseman, played by Jennifer Grey. Baby is on vacation with her parents and sister at Kellerman's, a resort in New York's Catskill Mountains. Baby decides to explore the resort after dark one night and discovers a secret "dirty dancing" party thrown by resort staff. After Dirty Dancing's dance instructor character Johnny Castle's (Patrick Swayze) partner, Penny (Cynthia Rhodes), is revealed to be pregnant, Baby volunteers to stand in as Johnny's partner for a performance so Penny can get an abortion. The coming-of-age story sees Baby growing up, learning to dance, and slowly falling in love with Johnny.
Dirty Dancing has aged surprisingly well because of its modern approach to certain controversial issues throughout the movie. The entire plot is jumpstarted by Penny's decision to have an abortion, which the movie doesn't shame her for doing, a surprising move for an '80s movie, much less one set in the early 1960s. Scriptwriter Eleanor Bergstein revealed (via HuffPost) that the studio approached her after Dirty Dancing had already been shot and suggested she take the abortion plotline out. However, it was important to Bergstein to showcase a woman's right to choose, especially in the pre-Roe v. Wade era in which the film is set.
It's not only Baby's reaction to the abortion that is progressive. Baby grows up quickly in Dirty Dancing and gets the courage to ask her father, who is a doctor, for help after the abortion is botched by a quack and Penny is put in agonizing pain. Dr. Houseman takes good care of Penny without judging her or being angry with Baby. In fact, he's only upset because Baby wasn't honest about her purpose for the $250 dollars she borrowed from him and because he mistakenly thought Johnny was responsible for getting Penny pregnant. The movie does a good job of advocating for safe abortions, illustrating that if Penny had been able to access a proper doctor who could perform an abortion safely, her health wouldn't have been put in danger.
Beyond the abortion storyline, Dirty Dancing also has a lot to say on classism and it makes the movie still resonate today. The late Patrick Swayze starred in action movies like Road House, but it's arguably Dirty Dancing for which he's best-known thanks to his turn as Johnny. At Kellerman's, the waiters are rich Ivy League students, while the entertainment staff are working-class people. Throughout the movie, rich characters like Robbie and Max Kellerman look down on and disparage the lower-class employees. Johnny is a talented dancer, but he admits to Baby that he struggles to make ends meet when he isn't working at the resort. When Johnny is accused of stealing a guest's wallet, Baby jumps to Johnny's defense, culminating in a confrontation with her father where she calls him out on his classism. Classism is still a prevalent issue in today's society and Dirty Dancing succeeds in getting its main character, who comes from a rich family, to acknowledge her own privilege.
There are so many reasons why people still enjoy Dirty Dancing today, from the iconic soundtrack to Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze's electric chemistry. However, what truly makes Dirty Dancing so memorable is how deftly it handles social issues portrayed in the film. Even though it's a film from 1987 that's set in the '60s, there's a quality to it that keeps it from becoming too dated. For that, it's cemented as a pop culture classic.