Summer Movies--#8

As we continue our look at summer movies to understand this genre better before you tackle writing YOUR summer movie, we move to 1987 and a surprise hit for that summer, Dirty Dancing by Eleanor Bergstein.

This movie was a HUGE hit—grossing far more than most of the summer films I’ve talked about so far. What was it that made the movie so appealing? Well, I have a theory.

It seems to me that it’s another fairytale—a young, not-the-prettiest-girl-around teen, falls for her dance instructor at a Catskills resort in a summer in the ‘60s. Forbidden love and sexy dancing [hence the title] combine to titillate and fascinate.

Who’s the audience for the film? Teens, of course. Just enough sex and innuendo to satisfy the teens, but also enough to appeal to the adults, given that the male lead is an adult.

Take a look at the trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcra0-0Gu4U

One thing that comes through—there’s just so much energy in this film. And that makes it fun to watch, for sure.

Like other summer films, the young lead, Baby, is unsure of herself, is naïve, feels controlled by family, isn’t one of the popular kids, and feels something’s wrong with her. Sound like ordinary teenage angst? Well, that it is. But put it in the Catskills for the family summer vacation, and anything can happen, right?

The big ‘anything’ is meeting this older guy who’s her dance instructor. And as he’s teaching her this sexy way of dancing that’s all the rage, he’s also showing her she can be who she wants to be. But the kicker is, she does the same for him. She’s a bit of a princess, coming from a rich family, and he’s more a wrong side of the tracks guy. In the end, she shows him he can achieve whatever he wants, no matter where he came from. So, in a way, this is also a movie about class.

Also, there’s the music. You can’t have a dance movie without music, and the music in this one is terrific—it even won the Oscar for best song.

One of the interesting things about this film is that it was inspired by the true story of the screenwriter. She spent time in the summers with her family in the Catskills. Her love for dance was cemented there and she went on to learn what was called “dirty” dancing at parties. She also fell in love with her dancing instructor. She took those events, fictionalized them, set them in the 60s—a time she knew well—and gave birth to an original story that captured the world.

How about you? What does your family do in the summers? Or what did they do when you were a teenager? Anything in there that could be a summer film? What’s real, what you know close up could make for a compelling story. So think about it. Maybe you’ll discover your next script in your own past!

Copyright © Diane Lake

16Aug20

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com