"Dirty Dancing is smart and funny, moving and unapologetic. It will be a breath of fresh air on a hot summer day. It's worth seeing if just for the dancing...and Patrick Schwytz's body."
"
Sheila Benson - Los Angeles Times, female film critic.
"On top of that, you have Jennifer Gray, as Baby, a wealthy girl summering in the Catskills who falls in love with Johnny, a working-class dance instructor played by Patrick Swayze. The chemistry between the leads is
White hot...worth watching.
At the very least, the two of them dance really sexy!"
F. X. Feeney, Los Angeles Weekly, film critic.
"Dirty Dancing is a 'flash dance' in which the protagonist has an IQ of over 100 points..."
Jay Scott, Globe and Mail, film critic.
"The dance itself in Dirty Dancing, especially the Mamba choreography by Kenny Ortega, looks very modern, or at least as modern as 'Saturday Night Fever.' But it's a little more different than Saturday Night Fever."
This wild driving force and gushing pulse bring real... excitement to the film.
Vincent Canby, New York Times, film critic
"The heart-warming scenes, wild dances, and Dirty Dancing remind me of Roger Corman-style B-movie mood. It's very nostalgic.
When Patrick Schwytz and Jennifer Gray dance together, you need a fire extinguisher..."
Julie Solomon, Wall Street Journal, female film critic.
"Hot, Hot (a hot and sexy pun)... Hot... (the critic wrote eight Hot in a row), 'Dirty Dancing' is 'Saturday Night Fever' with Caribbean hot dance music, it's borscht
'Flash Dance' in the Recreation Zone (a resort area around New York State where Jews often go for vacation) is a romantic and dazzling work set against the backdrop of sultry old songs from the 1960s.
In the 1960s, my God, the commanders at that time were so sexy...
An absolutely romantic movie, the Jewish girl Jennifer Gray plays Baby Frances, which represents women in that era of liberation and freedom. This is a typical Ronald Lee-style Sleeping Beauty-style low-budget movie,
The box office will definitely be amazing. I heard that the premiere will be postponed to mid-August, which is very exciting.
I recommend that all young girls, no, just women should go see it. This is our Rocky, and at the end Baby is like Rocky, competing with her in the dance to be played by Patrick Schwitz's Johnny Carson.
Sil's woman was eliminated by technical knockout."
Rita Kempley - The Washington Post, female film critic.
…
Pauline Carr has a huge influence in the circle of female film critics in New York and across the country. She came forward to invite some film critics to participate in the second film critic preview screening organized by Ronald in various places.
The effect is very good. Pauline specifically recommended this movie from the perspective of women's liberation. Many female film critics have written positive reviews of 80 to 90 points or above.
According to the unspoken rules of the Hollywood film critic circle, Ronald, as a producer, can privately give benefits to film critics. However, he cannot interfere with the film critics' film reviews or ask for an increase in ratings.
Well-known film critics from major media will also submit their film review articles after the film critics' special screening a few weeks before the film is released.
Regardless of whether it is good or bad, the producers are given a certain amount of time to make corresponding adjustments to the marketing plan based on the quality of the film's reviews.
This time, Pauline Carr gave Ronald some face and helped Ronald call the film critics and come specifically to attend the second test screening. Most of the people who came were female film critics, including many non-Jewish male film critics.
They generally would not attend this kind of small-production film critic show. At most, after the film is released, they can watch it for free with their membership card of the New York Film Critics Society. Then they can write a review of the film.
But Pauline's status among Hollywood film critics is very high. "Bonnie and Clyde," the pioneering film of the New Hollywood movement, was popularized by her reviews. This time Pauline Carr praised Ronald very highly.
He said he has the opportunity to revolutionize Hollywood again and bring mainstream movies back to major real issues.
Those female film critics have more or less benefited from Pauline Carr's favor in order to find a film critic position in a major newspaper or magazine in male-dominated Hollywood. They also talked about Ronald's new film Sixty Years
I was curious about the story of the era, so when I came over to take a look, it was indeed well-deserved.
A decade before the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, "Dirty Dancing" touched on the issue of women's abortion rights.
Penny Johnson, played by Cynthia Rhodes, is the key fulcrum of the entire film. Penny was deceived by a waiter into becoming pregnant while she was unmarried, so the baby had the opportunity to practice dancing with Johnny.
Penny had no money at that time, so she had to find a quack doctor for surgery, which would lead Baby to ask her father to lend money to Penny, and then ask her father to treat Penny again to avoid accidents. This would lead to Baby's father House.
Dr. Man turns against his favorite daughter and opposes her relationship with Johnny.
Such a plot is very difficult to ignore. Anyone who is not a naive boy or girl can understand and restore the original appearance of things from Ronald's restrained direction and editing.
These film critics all came from the turbulent women's liberation cause in the 1960s. They understood very well how rare it was for a good and enlightened doctor like Houseman to be available before the Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade.
It also made him finally agree to his daughter's relationship with Johnny, and send the baby abroad to participate in the Peace Corps movement advocated by Kennedy to aid third world countries. How extraordinary.
This is simply the dream of every girl. These middle-aged women, watching the movie, all recalled the memories of their youth. In the end, when Baby and Johnny hugged each other again, they were almost moved to tears.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The most exaggerated one is Rita Kempley of the Washington Post. She works at the largest newspaper in the center of DC politics and understands the two men better than anyone else.
The protagonist can overcome the huge differences in ethnicity, class, wealth, and education level, and finally come together.
Rita grabbed Ronald and asked him about the subsequent plot:
"Tell me, Ronald, did Baby and Johnny get married together later? Huh? Did Johnny get selected to star in a musical on Broadway? Baby married him after he returned from working in the Peace Corps in Africa? Huh?"
"I can't say, it should be decided by the audience." In order to avoid being targeted by the Jewish gang, Ronald kept all the details secret. For example, in the end, the male and female protagonists just danced together.
There are no details hinting at their future endings.
"If you don't tell me, I'll write you a bad review!" Rita refused.
"Yes, Ronald, you are such a bad guy, you almost made me cry. If you dare to separate Baby and Johnny, I will scold you in the movie review, you little bad guy." Julie Solomon of the Wall Street Journal also came up to make a comment.
He threatened Ronald with a vicious look.
"If you have something to say, I surrender." Ronald pretended to succeed in their threats and explained his difficulties. Why was he threatened by the Jewish forces in Hollywood because the heroine was a Jewish girl?
An agreement was reached with the Jews that the baby's ethnicity would not be revealed in the movie, and the sex scenes between baby and Johnny, as well as the scenes in which the two look forward to the future and overcome all difficulties to be together, were deleted.
As a result, this concession still aroused opposition from Jewish film critics, so Pauline Carr was forced to come forward to make amends.
"Actually, I have been very reserved about this movie. Unless you were a Jew who grew up in the 1960s, it would be difficult for you to understand that the Catskills are a resort hotel that only entertains Jews in the Borscht Belt. You may not necessarily know that Baby is
Jewish girl. This story will not change because of the ethnicity of the two protagonists."
"Yes, we support you. The core of this movie is actually the story of Baby's self-growth." Several female film critics began to get angry. Why would someone give a low score to such a good movie? This is a crime!
And the leading actor Patrick Schwytz is so handsome, it would be great if I could dance with him.
…
A few days later, Ronald was very happy to receive the manuscripts sent by these female and non-Jewish male film critics, and celebrated with Michelle Cannold and others in the office.
"Look, I still have some connections in Hollywood."
"That's for sure, Ronald. Almost all the movies you've made since you became a director have done well at the box office. These film critics also have to follow the footsteps of successful people." Cannold was very happy and flattered his boss in disguise.
"The main thing is that my movie has a plot of women's liberation, and the screenwriter Eleanor is of a high standard." Ronald said modestly.
"That's because your connections played a role. If it weren't for Pauline Carr's help, we wouldn't have been able to find so many film critics from famous media."
"There, there, our Daydream Company has invested so many resources, there is always something to be heard." Ronald nodded to the little Douglas who was giggling over there. This young boy didn't care much about the investment, as long as he could make famous films.
movie, he is happy.
This time, for the additional marketing expenses and the additional budget for the title song "The Time of My Life" from the original album, which was charted by DJs on major radio stations, the daydream was left as a backup and a large amount of marketing expenses were spent. Now
If another accident happens, he will really have no money. Fortunately, Douglas Jr. has received living expenses from the family foundation in 1987. If he needs money, he can invest one or two million.
"No, no, your director level is still high. Look at those middle-aged female film critics who are fascinated by your movies. They still have to attend the premiere in New York and wait to dance with Patrick Schwytz.
Body dancing." Little Douglas laughed when talking about the situation at that time.
Two film critics from the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal were holding on to Ronald, insisting that he sign a confirmation that the leading actor would dance with them at the premiere before they agreed to give Dirty Dancing the best review possible.
.
However, at the expense of Schwytz, the film reviews I received today really praised Ronald's film to the point that it is rare in heaven.
"I didn't expect these middle-aged women to like this movie so much. It would be great if female viewers in their thirties were as obsessed with this movie as they are. The absolute number of teenage female viewers is still small." Douglas Jr. lamented.
.
"Stop daydreaming. They are professional film critics, real middle-aged viewers. How can they be obsessed with this kind of cliché romantic comedy? I just ask more of them to watch it." Ronald
Shaking his head, this is a bit delusional.
"I also know...Hey, isn't this just a dream? We daydream about how much resources and energy we have invested in distributing this movie. The people on Cannold's distribution team are working very hard.
I feel like our small team can do almost as well as the publishing team of a big company like MGM.
The media interview packets we give to major media outlets are also outstanding in Hollywood. Those reporters who don’t say good things are sorry for us."
Ronald smiled as he watched Douglas Jr. praising the publishing team. They were very encouraged when they heard this. They are all young people with no experience and rely on enthusiasm to work. Sometimes you don't tell them how difficult the work is, but they complete it.
The effect is very good.
"I can't promise anything, but if the movie is a hit, we will definitely give everyone bonuses. And if...not, once Dirty Dancing is a box office success, we will increase the size of the distribution department. Everyone sitting here will do it in the future.
Career development will be very good.”
Ronald drew a big pizza out of thin air and gave it to the team members. Sure enough, the employees who had just graduated from college were very excited and raised their hands high in the air to give each other high fives.
"The first one was affordable. I found the resort hotel where we were filming and bought a weekend vacation package. All the colleagues in the distribution department went to take a break. They could bring a family member with them, and the company paid all the expenses."
The reward that Ronald asked his assistant to bring was that the Lakeside Resort Hotel had put their names in a separate line after the subtitles and acknowledgments for the movie. It was a benefit given to Ronald, which just allowed the team who had been busy for half a year to rest and relax.
"Yeah, Ronald...Ronald..."
The young people began to cheer Ronald's name.
"You have so many resources invested in Dirty Dancing, why don't you give us a little bit of 'love is not for sale'?"
It was Rush, the director of "Love Is Not For Sale" who walked into the office and questioned Ronald.
He originally complained about Ronald interfering in the final cut, in order to get the film passed with a PG13 rating, to sell more box office rather than respecting artistic integrity.
I just saw "Dirty Dancing" on the table getting so many positive reviews, and I was even more angry.
Unlike the rave reviews here, "Love Is Not For Sale" has received extremely negative reviews.
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, for example, gave "Love Is Not For Sale" half a star.
“If Love Is Not For Sale is meant to satirize American values—if cynicism is its goal—we might be on to something here.
But no, based on this evidence, the people who made this movie were so materialistic that they actually thought it was a "teen comedy." Couldn't they see the rotten core of the script?
How could an American do such a dirty thing of using money to buy the affection of his girlfriend?"
Albert really scolded "love is not for sale" in the film review.
It’s not like there are no good things to say. The New York Times film review, which Ronald is devoted to, gave a positive evaluation:
"...director Steve Rush...wasted an opportunity to make this a deeper and more interesting film...there is an identity crisis that is the protagonist Ronald's own
Mirror.
He thinks he wants to gain popularity at all costs, but he is actually a sincere person, and finally gets Cindy's love. This movie could have been as sincere as Ronald, but what it really wanted was the box office, so
Just like other PG13 'children's movies', it edits out its own originality."
This positive review just speaks to Rush's heart. Artistry has been cut off for the sake of box office. It might as well be a negative review!
"e on, Steve, calm down. Our distribution team spent a lot of time and energy on your movie (actually much less, Love is For Sale was sold as a tie-in to Dirty Dancing
),” explains director Michelle Cannodra Rush.
"It's okay," Ronald gestured to Cannold to let him go.
"Come with me, I'll show you something." Ronald took Steve Rush to the office next door.
"These are the negative reviews my movie Dirty Dancing received. They are no better than yours." Ronald took out the various negative reviews he had received before from the drawer and showed them to Rush.
"According to proportion, the ratings of our two movies are actually about the same."
"Well, I'm sorry, Ronald," Rush said, suppressing his anger and looking like his movie reviews might not be so bad after all. Roger Ebert didn't like Ronald's movies either.
"I have made a lot of efforts, but our Daydream is a small company, I hope you can understand. My movie will be rescheduled, and some of the original resources will now be used by Aishui. I have arranged a premiere for you,
Two opportunities to be interviewed on TV shows..."
"Thank you, you are a good producer and boss." Seeing that Ronald was diverting his resources to Love Right and Not For Sale, Rush felt a little ashamed of his anger just now, "You are different from those capitalist vampires.
It’s still on the side of us artists.”
"As long as you understand, it's not easy for me either." Ronald pretended that the company was still small and could not give you more support.
"Rush, you're here... don't be like this, Ronald has already given you great resources." Steve Bannon knocked on the door from outside.
"I know, I know, hey, if it weren't for him, we wouldn't have made such a good movie at such a low cost." Rush walked away moved.
"Are you satisfied?" Ronald looked at Bannon and knew what he wanted. He turned around and took out a media promotion plan and handed it to Bannon.
"I'm very satisfied, Ronald. You are a born filmmaker." Bannon looked at those promotion plans, as well as the arrangements for the protagonists to participate in TV interviews on CBS and NBC, and was convinced. This low-cost movie, with
It was filmed for less than one million US dollars, and a Beatles song was bought from MJ at a low price to be used as the theme song. As long as it can be exposed in the media, profit is almost certain. It is a matter of making more or less.
As long as he can earn more than 10 million, he can be proud of himself on Wall Street. If he earns 15 million at the box office, his old colleagues will take the initiative to call to discuss investing in his own film fund. If he earns 20 million, hehe...
...Afraid of being obedient and fighting for limited investment quota outside his office door.
"How much do you expect to earn?" Bannon asked Ronald in a low voice.
"Originally, the films scheduled for Dirty Dancing were all given to Love. In July, Disney will have "Adventures in Babysitting" to be released. I made an agreement with them. Originally, both parties took turns occupying the schedule, and there would be about 1,200 films scheduled to be released.
A conservative estimate is that if you stay in a theater for four weeks, between 20 million and 25 million is not a big problem.
But after that, there are several big-budget and powerful films such as 007, Jaws 4, RoboCop, Superman 4, and Unicron. It is estimated that your movie will not last too long. Don’t expect too much.”
"Hahaha, twenty-five million, no problem. My foundation has raised enough money. When the time comes for our cooperation, you must leave me a sufficient investment share." Bannon was overjoyed, Ronald
The estimate actually exceeded my most optimistic box office prediction. With this kind of return on investment, financing is not a problem, and then investing in a visionary producer like Ronald, I am afraid it will not grow as fast as a snowball, and then it can be released even bigger
Large-scale private equity funds, even issue junk bonds to raise funds, or go one step further to go public and reach the pinnacle of life...
It seems that retreating from Wall Street and joining Hollywood was indeed the right choice.
Ronald looked at Bannon who was smiling ugly, took out a pair of glasses, opened the brandy, poured two glasses of wine, "Wish us success!"