-Dirty Dancing- 2017

Ooooookay, at five-something pm on May 24, 2017, my friend Sasha and I watched the new ABC rendition of Dirty Dancing. I wrote the following in real time and in present tense.

There's no chemistry between Baby and Johnny. Other than a few shared looks when she's learning to dance and that ride on the motorcycle, there is no reason to believe these two have connected and started something. The writing here is lacking. Baby's parents get a lot of attention as they rebuild a sad marriage in which the good doctor is an extremely neglectful husband. They're not the only ones we focus on, either, because the movie surprises us by having Baby's mom sit with the bungalow bunny, Mrs. Pressman (Katey Segal), and hear about her former marriage and how she "used to be a great salsa dancer" despite my seeing evidence of the opposite a few scenes prior when she performed "Fever" with Johnny.

The slutty older dame and the main character 's parents get stronger storylines than the couple that is supposed to matter most!

During the pillow talk scene where Johnny opens up, I think - if I'm not mistaken - that he refers to bungalow bunnies, specifically Mrs. Pressman, his erstwhile lover, as "classy". That's very inaccurate.
Also, instead of being very naive like the original Johnny, this one is a felon! We're goin' the bad boy route! His new lady friend, Baby, is 18 and written to be flat as cardboard. It's a disappointment. I keep thinking, 'What's the point?'

Time to 'fess up: Sasha made an executive decision that we should escape the movie after just over an hour and although I wanted to write more observations on the movie, neither of us could make ourselves go back. This Dirty Dancing just was not engaging, but was a sign that unimaginative Hollywood suits are still pushing reboots as if we need them.

To all the talented people in this cast, I'm sorry. You brought it. The leads had no chemistry, but you brought it. It was the writing that I found disappointing.

What did you think?