Dirty Dancing

This feel-good dance drama works a curious charismatic magic and catapulted the then-unknown Patrick Swayze to stardom. It was intended as a low-budget filler, a tale of sexual awakening at a Jewish holiday resort in 1963, but it became a much-loved blockbuster and kick-started major industry careers for its production team. The casting is perfect, with Swayze playing the sexy bad boy dancing coach and Jennifer Grey as the feisty middle-class teenager, and their relationship never strikes a false note. But what really makes the film unmissable is the fabulous dancing - despite being highly erotic, it's never tacky.