Original artwork, not a still
I am doing this to save your ass, but what I really want to do is drop you on it.
— Dirty Dancing • 1987
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Baby is the good girl who has been told to keep quiet, and here she finally loses patience with the man she is doing a favour for. The jab works because it is sweet and spiteful at once. Fans quote it whenever they are helping someone and would happily let go at the worst possible moment.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Dirty DancingShow the scene
In Dirty Dancing, set at the Kellerman's resort in 1963, Baby has agreed to learn the dance so Johnny's number can go on at a rival hotel. Johnny drills her on frame and timing, snaps at her to concentrate, and asks if this is her idea of fun. Baby answers that it is. She adds that the show is two days away, he will not show her the lifts and she is unsure of the turns, so she is doing all this to save his skin. What follows is the lake, where Johnny says the best place to practise lifts is in the water.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: Dirty DancingBaby's quotesReference checked
- Springfield! Springfield! transcript, Dirty DancingRehearsal and lake sequenceReference checked
Context reviewed
