this is a nice romantic movie and quite a radical movie if you think about it…

1) an illegal abortion, and help to do so without question of if Penny was making the right decision/who/why. Controversial now but even more so at the time

2) when Baby finds out Penny was with Johnny previously, she doesn’t question this or get jealous. she trusts their friendship. Unlike most tropes, there’s no rivalry between the two, she is able to take Penny's criticism and grow, and Penny was able to lean on Baby.

3) Baby likes Johnny and the movie does not criticize this. She is the first to make moves towards him. After they sleep together, she gains more confidence in herself and he respects her as a woman asking what her real name is.


4) When Johnny compliments Baby he talks about her traits, rather than her physical beauty. They both think another is better than the other person seeing traits in each other that the other didn't see, ultimately bringing out their own strengths.
The love story between Baby and Johnny has equal growth between their characters as they help each other. And at the end it's not a "love above everything else for no reason happy ending" story...before the final dance scene, they said goodbye as tho they learned what they did from another when the characters had to part ways with the end of the trip/Johnny being fired.

5) Healthy masculine character traits. Aside from what’s mentioned above, Johnny was there for Penny platonically with no romantic agenda and had respect for both Penny and Baby. The movie showcases Johnny coming into his own. It also shows men crying, when Johnny is sharing with Baby he is seen as less than from the staff and guests, Being nothing but the entertainment both on the dance floor and in the bedroom and taken advantage of. Another scene of Babys father crying when Babys confronts him (and ultimately him admitting he was wrong at the end shaking hands with Johnny).

6) Baby gains confidence through dancing and liking another man other than her father. She also moves from sympathy to empathy when she realizes money class differences and steps up to take Penny's place in the dance number and learn the steps. She stands up for the truth that Jonny didn't steal, which her character wouldn't have done at the beginning of the movie.

Ultimately a coming-of-age story with transformation of Baby’s character, with other background themes