TV Land PRIME blog

Patrick Swayze has been in the news a lot lately due to his battle with pancreatic cancer, which to me is incredibly sad. I always thought he was kind of a cheeseball actor in my younger, more vulnerable years.

During college one finds oneself with a lot of free time -- especially when one is, say, a film major - and studying in the Arctic wasteland known as Rochester, N.Y., I found myself illegally downloading tons of '80s and '90s movies to watch while huddled under blankets and nestling next to the space heater. With this extracurricular activity I arrived at a key theme.

Patrick Swayze totally kicks ass! Even when he's acting in a chick flick. With this newfound knowledge of Swayze being totally righteous, I yearn to give a valuable guide to six Patrick Swayze films you can watch without you (or your tweens) groaning in boredom.*

6. Red Dawn (1984)

Out of the whole list, this movie has the most absurdly ridiculous plot, yet is also the most serious. South American Communist paratroopers drop in on the Midwest at the beginning of WW III and a bunch of high-school kids (led by Swayze, duh) retreat to the woods and begin to attack the invading communists using guerilla warfare tactics. One might think this is a cheesy action movie with a goofy plot premise, but no: It turns into a serious character-based drama as the teenagers are faced with the realities of war and the politics of a group dynamic. Hilariously, major character-development scenes -- when the South American paratroopers realize what they are doing is "wrong" -- are in Spanish... with NO SUBTITLES. An, um, interesting approach to a coming-of-age drama mixed with geopolitical warfare set in the plains of the Midwest.

5. Dirty Dancing (1987)

This one is clearly more for those of you bearing the X chromosome. In Dirty Dancing Swayze makes dancing (and the Poconos) seem cool. The dance sequences are fun and at times quite engaging, as well as a little steamy in that forbidden-love way. The film also tugs the heart strings of all little girls who feel as though they are being treated unfairly by their uptight parents and suspect that the whole world is against them. Swayze shows he can dance AND make a girl feel special. The movie is also responsible for one of the more famous lines in American cinema: "Nobody puts Baby in the corner."

4. Youngblood (1986)

A lesser-known movie than most, this '80s classic also stars Rob Lowe, and, bonus, a miniscule part for Keanu Reeves! The film follows - of course -- a young but talented hockey player (Lowe) who gets the chance to play for a minor league team led by Swayze's character. Great hockey scenes abound, and it's perfect for anyone whose kid is into sports. There's a basic love interest subplot that is cute, but doesn't get in the way of what makes this movie awesome: sweet sports montages of fast-moving hockey maneuvers, brutal body checks and jaw-rattling fights. While Swayze might not be the lead in this film, he stands out as the wise and courageous leader. A definite must-see for fans of sports films, especially hockey ones (of which there are painfully few).

3. Ghost (1990)

A sleeper hit in 1990 -- and Oscar nomination for best film -- Ghost is touching, funny and thrilling. I'm serious! While some of the "special effects" (like the weird, shadowy Kleenex beasts that take bad people to hell when they die) haven't passed the test of time, the rest of the movie remains enjoyable. Great performances from Demi Moore, Swayze, and Whoopi Goldberg as a wise-ass psychic - she even took home an Oscar for this baby! The movie's canvas seamlessly combines primary elements of thrillers, comedies, capers, sci-fi, horror and revenge flicks. It's touching yet thrilling, and you probably should probably ease up on the facelifts because your tear ducts obviously don't function properly if you don't get a little misty-eyed at the end. Oh. How can we forget the famous potter's wheel scene? Clay has never been so sexy.  

2. Road House (1989)

Probably the best Swayze movie, hands down. Dude is a traveling bouncer who also has a philosophy degree from NYU. Swayze finds himself cleaning up not only a dysfunctional bar but a WHOLE CORRUPT TOWN in this action flick. Count on ridiculously fun bar brawls and action sequences as well as some gut-busting yoga-in-sweatpants montages. This movie is just plain eye candy, and Swayze really lets his dance background show as he brawls with a poetic grace that you would expect from an accomplished ballerina -- bottles and chairs are exploding everywhere, but he manages to avoid them all while smoothly guiding his powerful punches and kicks to the midsections of redneck troublemakers. This is a film you can show your kids and explain to them how in the good old days, action scenes could actually be done without any super-polished computer F/X. Did I also mention a monster truck destroys an entire car dealership?

1. Point Break (1991)

Remember The Fast and The Furious? Well it basically ripped off the entire plot and dynamic of Point Break in every way. They just replaced surfboards with tricked-out cars, and made the tension in the cop-bad guy relationship about as engaging as a real-estate seminar. Swayze is the leader of the rag tag surfers/bank robbers, while Keanu Reeves plays undercover agent Johnny Utah in this drama-packed crime story about a bunch of surfers who happen to be the most successful bank robbers in California. It combines both awesome surf scenes and tense bank heists: At one point a freakin' gas pump is used as a flamethrower by a dude in a suit wearing a Ronald Reagan mask (which went on to become one of the most popular Halloween costumes of the early '90s). Swayze turns his character into a genuinely likable guy that you still love -- even though sadly, he's a dangerous criminal. He's the kind of guy you would want for an older brother, or the senior in your high school (trust me, you wish you had one) who was a badass, but didn't bully the freshmen.   

Despite being a dominant male in almost every role, Swayze also brings subtle warmth to his characters. I truly hope that he can continue his career and beat cancer so we can see him for years to come, whether he's putting on the moves, dancing, bank-robbing, playing hockey or you know, helping his woman throw a clay pot. The future is wide open when your name is Patrick Swayze.

What's your favorite Swayze moment?

*The Outsiders was not included due to the fact that its ensemble cast eats up too much screen time, therefore not allowing for ultimate Swayze exposure.

Photo credits (top to bottom): Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images; Jim Smeal/WireImage; Courtesy MGM; Courtesy Paramount Pictures; Courtesy MGM; Focus International/Hulton Archive

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