May sweeps are just around the corner, and the networks are pulling out the big guns to get you to tune in. ABC is hoping you’ll want to watch a remake of the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing, and they’ve just released a sneak peek of Baby and the gang in advance of the movie’s May 24 premiere.
Back in December, ABC announced the project, a three-hour extravaganza starring Abigail Breslin as Baby, and Colt Prattes, best known from the video for Pink’s “Try,” attempting to fill Patrick Swayze’s dancing shoes as the roguish Johnny Castle. Good luck with that, Colt. The movie also stars Sarah Hyland as sister Lisa, along with Katey Sagal, Nicole Scherzinger and Jennifer Lopez’s ex, Casper Smart. Debra Messing and Bruce Greenwood play Baby’s parents, Jake and Marjorie. The network released some stills from the film a few weeks ago, and with the exception of Katey Sagal getting what appears to be a meaty part (and I love Katey Sagal), the photos as a whole registered a collective “meh” from social media.
According to People Magazine, the remake, which will delve deeper into the film’s main characters, details “what happens to Baby and Johnny after the summer, Jake and Marjorie Houseman’s relationship, and Lisa’s life goals — while also tackling social topics in the country at that time, such as race and women’s rights.” Whoa. And you were just expecting lake lifts and cheesy dialogue.
Debra Messing, who gets her own solo song in the new version, shared the 30-second trailer via Twitter, telling us, “Get ready to dance and fall in love! #DirtyDancing premieres Wednesday, May 24 on ABC.” And now, if you dare, here’s 30 seconds of your life you won’t get back.
Get ready to dance and fall in love! #DirtyDancing premieres Wednesday, May 24 on ABC. pic.twitter.com/nb4EcPqMbz
— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) April 24, 2017
I don’t know about you, but this is just so much no, and it’s not just because any goodwill I had for Abigail Breslin went out the door after Scream Queens. True confession: I really didn’t like the original Dirty Dancing. That being said, it had its devotees, who made it a classic. Hollywood has tried so many times to rekindle the magic – with a sequel, a TV adaptation, a Broadway musical and even an ill-fated reality show – but they still haven’t learned. Too bad they just can’t leave well enough alone. If they want to keep bringing musicals to television, how about Hamilton? You got the choreographer, how about the whole shebang? I’m crossing my fingers, as I am far too broke to afford a ticket. Besides, the only dirty dancing I want to see Abigail do, she’s already done.
Photos: Getty Images, WENN.com
Awful… and no one can beat Patrick Swayze.
exactly.
I would take a Dirty Dancing Havana Nights sequel with Diego Luna and Romola Garai though!! (Someone please make this happen!)
Now we’re talking! 😉
On one hand, they have apparently stayed good friends since then…on the other hand they’d both probably rather cut of a limb than do it. We can dream…
They actually dated (which made my week when I found out lol) but I’m impressed they stayed friends after.
And yeah, I don’t think either of them wants to revisit this particular franchise – especially Romola. I wouldn’t want to either, if asshole producers pushed me to lose weight and I then went on to have an excellent career entirely removed from Hollywood.
I LOVE LOVE that movie so much. In my opinion, it’s better than the first one. And Diego was so pretty in it. Romola too.
And the “villain” was much more realistic (as in that guy she went to the Havana Club with). Sure, he was the typical guy asshole, and was going into assault territory, but then took one for his sins by covering for her after that. Doesn’t make his assault right, but at least there was some nuance to it, given the close community they were a part of.
I recognise that the script plus a lot of the dialogue is awful and not even Diego and Romola can save all of it, but I love it more than the first movie too. Because of them.
Also the slating it got from the critics feels a bit unfair in hindsight, people seemed to be more pissed off about this having the name Dirty Dancing than anything else.
YEP I’m here for Diego Luna … and he only gets better with time!
Yes! I loved Havana Nights. It’s such an under appreciated movie. I would love love love to see Diego Luna dance again *sighs*
He has a very brief little dance with Alice Braga in Solo Dios Sabe, that’s the closest he’s come to dancing since. But their chemistry was through the roof.
gemma, have you seen this little known film Mister Lonely by Harmony Corrine (I know, I know). Diego’s Michael Jackson moves will blow you away. I though it was a double doing all the dancing and moonwalking but apparently it was all Diego. So impressive.
@Adrien – I’d forgotten about Mister Lonely!
Also Harmony Korine’s favourite thing out of Diego’s filmography was Havana Nights so at least he has some tastes in common with us lol.
But yeah, for dancing with girls, it’s either Romola, Alice or Maribel.
True confession: I love Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights WAY more than the original.
There are two reasons for that and they are named Diego Luna and Romola Garai. No Diego and Romola, no bueno.
Hai, fellow Havana Knights! I know how Romola and Diego disowned this movie (according to Garai the set was misogynistic) but I thought it was better than the original. It had a better soundtrack too. Shame they used the franchise name. It would have worked as simply Havana Nights. No memorble cheesy lines like “Baby in the corner” or ” carried a watermelon” but Diego Luna saying “que, bonita” was adorably cute. The movie bombed so hard but it paved the way for the careers of Romola, Diego, Jonathan Jackson (nashville), January Jones and even Shakira. None of the castmembers became Dancing with the Stars contestant. They also paid Patrick Swayze 10 times than the original. Most of the movie’s budget went to Patrick’s 2 minute cameo. Meanwhile, the original killed the career of Jennifer Grey.
It is not a sequel though. It was a prequel. It was set 10 years before the original but somehow Patrick Swayze looked older. Hehe😆.
No, No I am not….
This looks awful and completely unnecessary. And the comment about Abigail already doing all the dirty dancing that we need to see is HILARIOUS!!! And completely accurate!
No, no, and NO!
Yea no. Not good. Poor Abigail she’s been getting a lot of praise for her talk about PTSD (horrific but inspiring) but this movie is a no.
Hamilton won’t ever make it to screen for at least another 5-10 years. Lin’s very protective of his work (as he should be).
Never liked the original so probably won’t catch this either. Just here for bruce Greenwood, such a great character actor.
I love Bruce Greenwood. He may not be enough to make me see this, though.
Absolutely not.
No, no, just no. This is a movie that never needs to be remade. It looks terrible, I mean really awful.
My husband, bless his heart, made our kids watch Dirty Dancing. For some reason, he (who only watches russian endless films and the like) thinks it was an important film for him when he was a kid.
I don’t understand the hype about this thing, as I didn’t understand Jurassic Park, Titanic, Bridget Jones etc, etc, etc.
Thank you! I never really liked Dirty Dancing either. Patrick Swayze never did it for me and the movie was too much. And I hated the main song, I cringed every time I heard it. I was crushing too hard on Sting during the the 80s to ever get on the Swayze train. A three hour tv musical extravaganza makes me ill.
I’m not completely against remakes but I feel like this one should have been left alone. The original was perfection. Plus, this feels so disrespectful to Patrick somehow. Just wrong.
Finally! Someone else who didn’t like the original! As much as I have a soft spot for Patrick Swayze I couldn’t stand that movie…
Same. Hated it then, hate it now. Jerry Orbach was wonderful tho.
God Bless Jerry Orbach. I really miss him, he was a wonderful musical theater actor and actor altogether.
I loved the original, but I was a teen. Have to admit it was totally unrealistic. So much BS going around. The poor, hot guy with the rich preppy girl, the Ivy league asshole and the poor defenseless girl who believed his lies (or something?). The idiot sister…. going for said Ivy league asshole… I mean, really??? Wouldn’t a preppy girl want a guy just like that, without knowing what his family was about? Weren’t those girls not only marry the guy but marry into the family? They wouldn’t want a poor, Ivy league guy that was working as a waiter during the summer (rich guys have/had summer internships in places like NYC, Boston, etc. courtesy of Daddy, daddy’s friends and Co.)
And let us not forget that Baby was like, 16 at the time of their romance. She was a child and having a better grasp on things then her college age sister, yeah, I never bought into it.
NOPE.
They just remade it scene for scene with a less talented cast and a smaller budget? WHY?
Nope, this looks as interesting as a basin full of dirty dishes. So not feeling the leads, the worst choices.
No one can fill Swayze’s shoes. That guy had moves.
I will start things off with WHY HOLLYWOOD WHY? You will not learn your lesson.. Do not fix what it is broken. I am not fan of Dirty Dancing because I though it was cheesy and still is cheesy. So why would they (ABC the channel I absolutely hate) would want to remake a 30-year old Cheese Fest of a show for everyone to see. These people will never learn. Hollywood need some new ideas and start treating people with respect.
How many ways can you spell SUCK ?
There are a few:
REMAKE
REBOOT
REIMAGINING
“20 YEARS LATER”
STRAIGHT-TO-DVD SEQUEL
No hungry eyes or ears for me. Imo the appeal of the original movie was the social/cultural context.
Someone’s got some Lohan teeth. I know whitening is bad for the enamel, but…
Oof…that was painful
I neither asked for this nor will I use it *Return to Sender ASAP* #STOPTHEF*CKINGREMAKESFFS
Loved the original. Patrick Swayze had that one-of-a-kind charisma that can’t be recreated. Have no interest in a remake.
My friend’s first cousin directed Dirty Dancing. He’s dead now, but that kind of lightning in a bottle cannot be recreated. I will not be watching.
Emile Ardolino! I actually remember that! He directed the first Sister Act too.
It looks as good as the Footloose remake. Bleh. Completely unnecessary and unwanted.
No, just no!
I love Abigail Breslin, but no …
For me she always is and will be Little Miss Sunshine.
@ PARIS-I agree, she’ll always be OUR.
“Little Miss Sunshine” 💖
Ugh so much no here! Colt is not Swayze and I refuse to acknowledge the existence of this movie. Sorry Abigail – I actually like Little Miss Sunshine.
Screw you, ABC, for taking a dump on my sweet, fond memories of a classic.
Why for remakes??? Why?!?!?
Wow, Abigail Breslin looks so cute with that look! Way better!