A film by Randal Kleiser
Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton John) have a summertime romance in the late 50 s, but it ends when the summer does and Sandy has to go back to Australia. It is time for a new school year at Rydell High, and Danny is a Senior. He is a member of the T-Birds gang (which feels like a more innocent version of what we d think of as a gang), the leader of the group. Sandy had told Danny that she had to go back to Australia, but she ends up starting school at Rydell also, unaware that Danny is there. Danny is the cool greaser, popular with the ladies and with a reputation to uphold. Sandy is the sweetest girl next door that you are ever likely to find. When they meet up again, they are excited to see each other, but it doesn t work because Danny is hiding behind his reputation and behaves accordingly.
As a musical, this film is absolutely wonderful. It harkens back to a more innocent time, and while this film is a bit more sexual than you might expect from a PG rated movie, it is very sweet and charming. Most of the songs are great, fit the scene and do not have that stereotypical it s time to burst into song feel. The songs feel like a more natural extension of the character and scene and sometimes even feel like what they might actually say at that point. Stockard Channing steals all of her scenes as Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies. Her two big songs Look at Me, I m Sandra Dee and There are Worse Things I Could Do are highlights of the movie, along with the classic Summer Nights (Travolta and Newton John), Beauty School Dropout (Frankie Avalon), and You re the One that I Want (Travolta, Newton John). The one complaint that I do have is that I much prefer Sandy as the girl-next-door over her new look at the end of the film. All the characters act like it is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but all that it is showing me is that Sandy has to change who she is in order to get a guy to like her. Or, maybe I am thinking too much about this. The bottom line is that this movie is a blast and it is my favorite musical. Grease is one of my favorite movies and is a modern classic, even if it is a little campy. I don t know how well it will age over the next twenty years, but for now: Grease is the word.
Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton John) have a summertime romance in the late 50 s, but it ends when the summer does and Sandy has to go back to Australia. It is time for a new school year at Rydell High, and Danny is a Senior. He is a member of the T-Birds gang (which feels like a more innocent version of what we d think of as a gang), the leader of the group. Sandy had told Danny that she had to go back to Australia, but she ends up starting school at Rydell also, unaware that Danny is there. Danny is the cool greaser, popular with the ladies and with a reputation to uphold. Sandy is the sweetest girl next door that you are ever likely to find. When they meet up again, they are excited to see each other, but it doesn t work because Danny is hiding behind his reputation and behaves accordingly.
As a musical, this film is absolutely wonderful. It harkens back to a more innocent time, and while this film is a bit more sexual than you might expect from a PG rated movie, it is very sweet and charming. Most of the songs are great, fit the scene and do not have that stereotypical it s time to burst into song feel. The songs feel like a more natural extension of the character and scene and sometimes even feel like what they might actually say at that point. Stockard Channing steals all of her scenes as Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies. Her two big songs Look at Me, I m Sandra Dee and There are Worse Things I Could Do are highlights of the movie, along with the classic Summer Nights (Travolta and Newton John), Beauty School Dropout (Frankie Avalon), and You re the One that I Want (Travolta, Newton John). The one complaint that I do have is that I much prefer Sandy as the girl-next-door over her new look at the end of the film. All the characters act like it is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but all that it is showing me is that Sandy has to change who she is in order to get a guy to like her. Or, maybe I am thinking too much about this. The bottom line is that this movie is a blast and it is my favorite musical. Grease is one of my favorite movies and is a modern classic, even if it is a little campy. I don t know how well it will age over the next twenty years, but for now: Grease is the word.