Rewatching Dirty Dancing and wondering... was Baby ALWAYS supposed to be with Johnny?
Okay, so I just rewatched Dirty Dancing (again, no shame!). It's one of those movies that’s so ingrained in pop culture you almost forget how… weird some of the plot points are? Like, the whole Penny abortion storyline feels kinda rushed now, and the whole 'stealing for Robbie' thing is just bizarre. But it got me thinking about Baby and Johnny. Was it always supposed to be them? I mean, Baby's super sheltered when she first arrives. She's got that whole 'peace corps' thing going on, and she's clearly naive. Johnny, on the other hand, is a total pro, used to the summer grind and dancing with women for money and social status. It seems like such a clash. Obviously, opposites attract, and they help each other grow, but her father's intense disapproval, coupled with Johnny's initial reluctance (he was supposed to be with LISA????) makes me wonder if some of the original writing wanted a different outcome. Maybe Lisa and Johnny would have had the same spark after some time alone? I theorize that maybe, originally, Baby was supposed to learn from Johnny and from the experience, but not necessarily end up with him. Maybe the ending was changed to be more Hollywood/romantic? Don't get me wrong, I love 'Nobody puts Baby in a corner' as much as the next person, but I wonder if a less neatly tied-up ending, where Baby goes off to the Peace Corps a slightly more worldly and mature person, would have been more interesting. Or just a little more realistic, even. I'd love to see what the original shooting script looked like, honestly. Maybe my headcanon is just off base, though. Thoughts?
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