Dirty Dancing

Dirty Dancing is a 1987 romance film which is credited as being one of the most watched films of all time, particularly among women. Written by Eleanor Bergstein, the film features Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Cynthia Rhodes, and Jerry Orbach. The story details the moment of time that a teenaged girl crosses over into womanhood both physically and emotionally, through a relationship with a dance instructor during a family summer vacation. Approximately one third of the movie involves dancing scenes, and the finale is considered by many to be "the most goosebump-inducing dance scene in movie history."

Originally a low-budget film by a new studio and with no major stars (at the time), Dirty Dancing became a massive hit. It has earned $US300 million worldwide, and was the first film to sell over one million copies on home video. The Dirty Dancing soundtrack is one of the bestselling soundtracks of all time, generating two multi-platinum albums and multiple singles, including, "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", which won both the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Song, as well as a Grammy Award for best duet. In 2004, the film spawned a sequel, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, as well as a stage version in 2005 which has had sellout performances in Australia, Germany, and the UK, and is scheduled to play in its first North American city, Toronto, in October 2007. The 20th anniversary of the film's release is on August 21, 2007. The anniversary has been marked with increased press attention, a 20th-anniversary DVD, and a new Dirty Dancing computer game. The film was rated PG-13 in the United States.