Review: Grease (1978)

Grease is one of the first films I ever remember seeing, and, to be honest, upon first viewing, I didn't really like it. My sister loved it, and would watch it everytime it came on the telly. But not me. I would dread it. That all changed one Christmastime, though I can't remember which one. Grease was again aired on the box, somewhere inbetween Willy Wonka (1971) and The Flintstones (1994), and I was made to watch it by my mother. To my surprise, I liked it. I really liked it.

In the summer of 1959, Popular high school student Danny Zuko meets Australian import Sandy Olsson on the beach, and they fall in love. As Sandy is only in the States for her summer (As she's Australian, it would actually be her winter) holiday, the two believe their romance to be a short-term one. However, after Danny returns to Rydell High, his local school, when summer comes to an end, he runs into Sandy at a pep rally. Unfortunately for Sandy, Danny's attitude and behavior at Rydell is very different from the Danny she met on the beach.

"Grease is the word."

Grease is a very light-hearted, entertaining film, and one of the best musicals you'll ever see. Billed as the original high school musical, Grease takes place almost entirely within the characters' senior year of high school, and many high school elements and themes are used throughout the movie. A prom is featured. Athletic teams and a rival high school are used.  The theme of popular versus unpopular can also be seen various times throughout the movie. But the most obvious high school theme used within the film is that of cliques; two cliques in particular: The T-Birds and the Pink Ladies.

Just about all of the songs in Grease are catchy, and there's not one that I don't like. The best include "Summer Nights", "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee", "Beauty School Drop-Out", "You're The One That I Want", and my personal favourite, "We Go Together."

This is definitely a movie you want to buy the soundtrack too.

"I better shape up, 'cause you need a man..."

"I need a man... who can keep me satisfied."

"I better shape up if I'm gonna prove..."

"You better prove... that my baby's justified."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure down, deep inside"

"You're the one that I want."

Grease was a very well cast movie. John Travolta was the perfect choice to play Danny; I can't imagine anybody else in that role. Olivia Newton-John did a very good job in her first leading role as Sandy. The entire cast of T-Birds and Pink Ladies were very good, and provided a lot of the film's best comedic moments. There is one Pink Lady I must single out as being the best, though, and that is Stockard Channing who played Rizzo, perhaps the best acted role in the whole film.

Grease has become one of those movies that I watch at least once every couple of months. Everytime one of the songs pops up on my iPod, I listen to it without hesitation. I love everything about Grease. 10/10

Trivia: Though most of main actors in Grease are portraying high school students, there were in fact only three actors that were of appropriate high school age. Dinah Manoff (Marty), Lorenzo Lamas (Tom), and Eddie Deezen (Eugene) were teenagers, all aged 19 at the time of filming. The rest of the high school cast were in their twenties and thirties, the youngest being Kelly Ward (Putzie), aged 20, and the oldest being Channing (Rizzo), aged 33.

- Vixtastr43