https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de4L5peVq3o
Back when I was a kid and I saw Dirty Dancing, I remember loving the film. Then I watched the remake, and I wondered if I really enjoyed the film or I thought it was boring. I honestly don’t remember the last time I saw the 1987 movie.
Anyways, that was then and tonight at 8p on ABC, they are airing the remake. All I will tell you is if you liked the original, then you are going to want to skip this. If you have never seen the Patrick Swayze/Jennifer Garner starrer, then you might tolerate the 3 hour telemovie.
The telefilm starts off slowly and never picks up from there. I actually think it slows down. What made the original one so great was the chemistry between Baby and Johnny Castle, and Swayze’s dancing. In this one, there is not even a spark between Abigail Breslin and Colt Prattes. Not only that, neither one of them can dance. Prattes is so bad, I had to ask my friends on Facebook if we actually thought Swayze was sexy in that movie. I just felt no heat from Prattes and his moves were so amateurish. How can they make a movie called Dirty Dancing and not have dancers in it?
But it isn’t all bad. Katey Sagal sings a sultry version of Fever. Nicole Scherzinger can dance and does her best with what was given to her as Johnny’s dance partner who needs an abortion. Sarah Hyland, who plays Bay’s sister, is perfect for the ’60s, so much so I would like to see her get more roles from that era. When it comes to the rest of the cast and the movie, it is honestly forgettable.
Well, not everything. After the final dance scene, you know the one with the lift, we get a completely different ending. An ending that will leave even the slightest fan of the original ready to put this version of the corner, set it on fire and not put it out until she’s like the wind.
In short, skip the 3 hour remake. The version I sat through was just over 2 hours (no commercials) and it felt like 24. It is that torturous. Dirty Dancing lives up to half its title, dirty as in a huge mess.
UPDATE: I just rewatched the original and it makes me hate the remake even more. They took out all the rehearsal scenes between Castle and Baby to add more dialogue for the unnecessary characters they added. They changed up key points for no reason. And besides the new ending, they made the first sex scene boring. Basically, they took out a lot of the dancing, chemistry and heart to make it a long drawn movie that will put you to sleep by 8:20p. Watch the original instead, you will be thanking me.
