Live Roundups Editor's Desk Insights Executive Ops Weather About 🔍
Home › Entertainment › ‘Still feel a jolt of joy’: why Dirty Dancing is my...
Entertainment

‘Still feel a jolt of joy’: why Dirty Dancing is my feelgood movie

The Guardian UK Monday 21 September 2026, 09:00 UTC By Hannah Marriott 1 min read
Key Points

The latest in our ongoing series of writers highlighting their most rewatched comfort films remembers a 1987 teenage girl classicThere is probably a Swedish word for the emotional state engendered in me by Dirty Dancing. A kind of turbo-nostalgia which blends solace, joy and a sense of continuity with a yearning so acute I can feel it in my ribs. I must have been around 12 years old when I first watched Baby (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny (Patrick Swayze) fall in love while bumping pelvises as...

The latest in our ongoing series of writers highlighting their most rewatched comfort films remembers a 1987 teenage girl classic

There is probably a Swedish word for the emotional state engendered in me by Dirty Dancing. A kind of turbo-nostalgia which blends solace, joy and a sense of continuity with a yearning so acute I can feel it in my ribs.

I must have been around 12 years old when I first watched Baby (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny (Patrick Swayze) fall in love while bumping pelvises as dance partners (before Strictly Come Dancing, this trajectory felt more surprising.)

Continue reading...
Dirty Dancing (PERSON) Swedish (ORG) Baby (PERSON) Jennifer Grey (PERSON) Johnny (PERSON) Patrick Swayze (PERSON)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

Related Stories

The Seasons review – Portuguese pastoral offers poetic excavation of myth and mapping

The rugged roads and lush vegetation of southern Portugal are showcased in this weaving-together of disparate threads of history and landscapeIn a sea of doomsday ecological documentaries, Maureen Fazendeiro’s pastoral marvel is a sight for sore eyes. A solo debut feature for the Lisbon-based French director, this hybrid film studies the historical and geographical contours of Alentejo, a rural region in southern Portugal. The opening is set to a jaunty soundtrack of energetic percussion...

The Guardian UK 41m ago

Winners of first Orkney Nature Festival photo contest unveiled

It is the first year the competition has run, and it is hoped it will return in future years.

BBC Scotland 1h ago

Heart of the action: why organ couriers are cinema’s new heroes

Whether its a nod to frontline Covid heroes or a return to biology in a world of digital noise, there’s a rich vein of new films featuring organ deliveries, including Runner and the latest Resident EvilHollywood loves a ticking clock – especially when there’s a delivery involved. For decades, dangerous cargo has been entrusted to certain types of action hero: spies, soldiers, hitmen, Jason Statham. Lately, however, Hollywood seems interested in a different kind of hero – not to mention a...

The Guardian Culture 1h ago

Kylie Jenner sells California mansion for $5 million below asking

Reality TV superstar and fashion mogul Kylie Jenner has finally found a buyer for her longtime California mansion, offloading the home for $15.3 million.

MarketWatch 1h ago