99. Dirty Dancing

To celebrate finally getting to episodes 99 and 100, we're going back to the very first two movies we covered on Load Bearing Beams and give these two classics the full LBB treatment they deserve. First up, it's Dirty Dancing (1988), one of Laci's favorite movies. It's a charming dancey melodrama with some surprisingly poignant political commentary that is much easier to see in 2024 than it was back in 2017. 

Matt gave this movie a big fat thumbs-down on his first viewing for that first episode. Have his feelings changed? Can Laci teach him to mambo in time for the gig? And what exactly happened to Baby and Johnny after that memorable summer of '63? Find the answers to all these, and so much more, in our first episode of 2024.

Next week: We're revisiting Star Wars (1977)!

Watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aWtYOXKQoB4

Time stamps:

00:05:49 — Our personal histories with Dirty Dancing

00:09:58 — Pre-movie predictions

00:16:58 — History segment: The history of abortion in America; career overviews of screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein, director Emile Ardolino, and stars Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey

00:53:14 — In-depth movie discussion

01:51:27 — Final thoughts and star ratings

01:53:38 — Bonus listener question: What were our best ever movie theater experiences? 

Artwork by Laci Roth. 

Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). 

Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: 

“Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM

“Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg

“The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ