Grease (1978) – 7.5/10 – Fun Musical that Leaves you Dancing
‘Grease’ is a classic, lively coming-of-age rock’n’roll musical, one of the most popular musicals of all time. I was first introduced to Grease by my 4th-grade music teacher, who was a huge fan of musicals. We watched several musicals in 4th and 5th grade music and also sang many of the timeless songs. Grease was one of them, but we didn’t watch Grease in class. Until now for me, two decades later. A High School student, Danny (John Travolta), falls in love with Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) during 1958 summer. Upon returning to school for senior year, he realizes Sandy has moved to his school. However, the two are in very different social circles. Danny is a cool greaser running with a rowdy crowd, while Sandy is a well-behaved cheerleader and a Ms. Goody two-shoes trying to fit in. Danny, unwilling to abandon his fake stuck-up ways (aka being a prick), creates a rift between him and Sandy. Their relationship develops as he tries to woo her, while she longs to be with him again.
Grease is a feel-good movie that leaves you with joy and excitement. It’s a nostalgic celebration of youth and life. I don’t think you will find a best musical list without Grease listed. The music was so popular that I found myself humming “We Go Together” many years after my elementary school days. It stayed with me all these years, despite never watching the film. Outside of the soundtrack, the smooth choreography, 50s-era costuming, and the atmosphere have stood the test of time. The cast has excellent chemistry, especially Travolta and Newton-John. Both are charming in every scene. I will say that you have to leave logic at the door when watching this today because some scenes will make you cringe. But it’s still fun and leaves you feeling like dancing. A few other interesting tidbits. Grease was by far the highest-grossing film of 1978 and the highest-grossing musical until 2008. Grease is the word! The zipper on Newton-John’s pants ripped with no alternatives, so they had to sew her into her pants daily for the entire week. Grease 2 was done with a new cast, and it bombed at the box office. The cast of Grease pushed for Grease 3 with the original cast, but Grease 2’s failure ended any chance for Grease 3.
Would I recommend this? If you like musicals and coming-of-age films depicting High School, I believe you have to watch ‘Grease’. Outside of that, I don’t think it’s a must-watch. I’m a huge fan of coming-of-age films, so I was going to watch this, eventually.
