Catch of the County

Last night some friends and I went back to the 80's. We went to Pizza Hut for dinner. (The same Pizza Hut that I actually ate at in the 80's.) And then we went to a showing of "Dirty Dancing." They were showing it at our local Regal Theater celebrating the 20th anniversary of its release. I admit, with no embarrassment whatsoever, that I have been looking forward to seeing this movie in all of its big screen glory for weeks. I love it. I love the dancing and the music and the 1963 clothes and cars. I love the scenery and the story and the fact that they have a really bad talent show at the end. I love the coming of age that Baby experiences and the fact that the movie is so wonderfully cheesy. But most of all I love Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. (Mostly Patrick Swayze.)

In 1987 when this movie came out, I was 15; the perfect age to fall in love with Johnny and Baby. I wanted to be Baby with her naturally curly hair and her tiny waist and her positive outlook. (And her cute capris and Keds.) And what girl in 1987 didn't want a Johnny. A boy who was older and a little rebellious and a great dancer. Not to mention abosolutely gorgeous. There are just so many moments in this movie that make me smile no matter how many times I watch it. And each time, at the end, I write a sequel in my head where Johnny follows Baby to college and they stay in love and eventually get married and dance their way into retirement together.

So last night, it didn't matter that I'm 35 and a respectable wife and mother or that Patrick Swayze is the same age as my dad or that Jennifer Grey has a new nose. When the most famous line of the movie came near the end, I cheered and clapped and loved every second of it right along with everyone else in the theater. For two hours it was 1987 again and it's truer now than ever that, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."