Dirty Dancing (1987)
First dance. First love. The time of your life.
Expecting the usual tedium that accompanies a summer in the Catskills with her family, 17-year-old Frances 'Baby' Houseman is surprised to find herself stepping into the shoes of a professional hoofer—and unexpectedly falling in love.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 21 August 1987 |
| Genre | Drama, Music, Romance |
| Director | Emile Ardolino |
| Starring | Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze and Jerry Orbach |
| Runtime | 100 min |
| Rated | PG-13 |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 6.2/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 72% · Metacritic 65/100 · TMDB users 7.3/10 |
| Budget | $6 million |
Where to watch Dirty Dancing
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Rent or buy
You can rent Dirty Dancing on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home and FlixFling. It is also for sale on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch Dirty Dancing in 73 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Angola | Prime Video |
| Argentina | Prime Video $5199 ARS |
| Australia | Prime Video $12.99 AUD, Disney+ $17.99 AUD, ARD/ZDF |
| Austria | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Bahamas | Prime Video |
| Barbados | Prime Video |
| Belgium | Prime Video €4.99, Disney+ €10.99 |
| Belize | Prime Video |
| Bolivia | Prime Video |
| Brazil | Prime Video R$19.90 |
| Bulgaria | Disney+ €9.99 |
| Cameroon | Prime Video |
| Canada | Disney+ $15.99 CAD, Paramount+ |
| Chad | Prime Video |
| Chile | Prime Video $6490 CLP |
| Colombia | Prime Video $24900 COP |
| Congo - Kinshasa | Prime Video |
| Costa Rica | Prime Video |
| Croatia | Disney+ €9.99 |
| Czechia | Disney+ 219 Kč |
| Côte d’Ivoire | Prime Video |
| Denmark | Prime Video 69 kr DKK, Disney+ 119 kr DKK, Viaplay 159 kr DKK |
| Dominican Republic | Prime Video |
| Ecuador | Prime Video $5.99 |
| El Salvador | Prime Video |
| Equatorial Guinea | Prime Video |
| Finland | Prime Video €6.99, Disney+ €11.99, Viaplay €13.99 |
| France | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Germany | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Ghana | Prime Video |
| Greece | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Guatemala | Prime Video |
| Honduras | Prime Video |
| Hungary | Disney+ 2990 Ft |
| Ireland | Disney+ €11.99 |
| Italy | Prime Video €4.99, Disney+ €10.99 |
| Japan | U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Kenya | Prime Video KSh560 |
| Liechtenstein | Disney+ |
| Luxembourg | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Malawi | Prime Video |
| Mexico | Prime Video $99 MXN |
| Mozambique | Prime Video |
| Netherlands | Prime Video €4.99, Disney+ €10.99 |
| New Zealand | Prime Video $8.99 NZD, Disney+ $18.99 NZD |
| Nicaragua | Prime Video |
| Niger | Prime Video |
| Nigeria | Prime Video ₦2300 |
| Norway | Prime Video 79 kr NOK, Disney+ 129 kr NOK, Viaplay 169 kr NOK |
| Panama | Prime Video $5.99 |
| Paraguay | Prime Video |
| Peru | Prime Video S/25.90 |
| Poland | Prime Video 25.99 zł, Disney+ 34.99 zł |
| Portugal | Prime Video €4.99, Disney+ €10.99 |
| Romania | Disney+ 34.99 lei |
| San Marino | Disney+ |
| Senegal | Prime Video |
| Seychelles | Prime Video |
| Slovakia | Disney+ €9.99 |
| South Africa | Prime Video R79 ZAR |
| South Korea | Watcha |
| Spain | Prime Video €4.99, Disney+ €10.99 |
| Sweden | Prime Video 69 kr SEK, Disney+ 129 kr SEK, Viaplay 169 kr SEK, TV4 Play free |
| Switzerland | Prime Video CHF8.90, Disney+ CHF16.90 |
| Tanzania | Prime Video |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Prime Video |
| Türkiye | Disney+ ₺449.90 |
| Uganda | Prime Video |
| United Kingdom | Disney+ £11.99 GBP |
| Uruguay | Prime Video $U249 |
| Venezuela | Prime Video |
| Zambia | Prime Video |
| Zimbabwe | Prime Video |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Emile Ardolino directs a 100-minute romance that knows exactly what it is. It is not subtle, and it does not need to be. The film relies on the specific electricity of a first summer, where the rules of the world feel loose enough to break. Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze bring a chemistry that defies the era’s typical stiffness. It is a story about stepping up, literally and figuratively, when you have no idea what you are doing.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes records a 72% Tomatometer score as of August 2024, while Metacritic sits at 65 out of 100 as of July 2025. The consensus leans favorable, citing impressive choreography and song. Gene Siskel offered a "marginal Thumbs Up," appreciating the lead performance. Roger Ebert voted "Thumbs Down," citing a tired plot. Time magazine found the script neat but the energy infectious. Irin Carmon later called it "the greatest movie of all time.
How it did with audiences
The budget was $6 million. The box office was $214 million. That ratio is less a business plan and more a magic trick, pulling a fortune out of a hat labeled "teenage romance." On TMDB, users give it a 7.3.
What came next for the cast
Patrick Swayze went from The Outsiders to Ghost, a leap the credits alone cannot explain. Jerry Orbach moved from action films to Law & Order, a role that defined his second act. Jennifer Grey’s path was quieter, leading eventually to A Real Pain. The film did not cause these careers. It simply sat in the middle, waiting for the next chapter to arrive on its own schedule.
Where it left its mark
The phrase "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" escaped the screen. A Swedish feminist art group lit it in white neon at Umeå Bus Square in 2008, then again at Karlstad University in 2012. The resort where it was filmed now hosts themed weekends with dance lessons, guided tours, film screenings, parties, and lawn games. Lionsgate stopped the official festival in 2023, but organizers still remember the movie, so a Lake Lure Dance Festival continues. The wood floor from the final dance scene was salvaged and installed in the Esmeralda Inn and Restaurant. Mount Holyoke College screens the film annually for incoming first-years, specifically for the line "Baby's starting Mount Holyoke in the fall." In 2024, the Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. By 2025, it became the 500th title to reach 1 million logs on Letterboxd.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Dirty Dancing.
Sources
- Dirty Dancing on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q253978 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Dirty Dancing” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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