Character Analysis
Robbie Ghoul
Robbie Gould is the closest thing Dirty Dancing has to a villain. He's not evil, he's just awful and annoying, like the parrot from Aladdin or that evil steering wheel from Wall-E.
Here's how Kellerman introduces Robbie to the Houseman family:
KELLERMAN: This is your waiter, Robbie Gould. Yale Medical School.
As if that's all they need to know. What that doesn't say about him is that he's elitist, misogynist, and a scumbag. If they teach classiness at Yale, Robbie overslept that day.
He can't open his mouth without something horrible coming out. He accuses Penny of "bon[ing] every guy in the place" and tells Baby she's "slumming" when he finds out she slept with Johnny. Then there's this gem:
ROBBIE: Some people count. Some people don't. Read it. I think it's a book you'll enjoy, but make sure you return it. I have notes in the margin.
Being a fan of Ayn Rand is the biggest red flag of them all.
Robbie gets his comeuppance twice, once from Johnny and once from Baby's dad. Johnny punches Robbie a few times, which is great, but bruises heal. Baby's dad, however, refuses to give Robbie the letter of recommendation he needs. What for, we're not sure. But Robbie lives in a world that's all about status, and not having the word of a prestigious doctor like Jake Houseman is something that hits Robbie where it hurts.