Grease – 1978
Director
Randal Kleiser

Writers
Jim Jacobs
Warren Casey

Cast
John Travolta
Olivia Newton-John
Stockard Channing

Review by John Rouse Merriott Chard

You’re a fake and a phony and I wish I never laid eyes on you!
Grease is directed by Randal Kleiser and stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing & Jeff Conaway. It’s co-written by Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey (Musical), Bronte Woodard & Allan Carr.

1958 and Danny (Travolta) has a holiday romance with the pretty and virginal Sandy (Newton-John). She ends up going to the same high school as he, but he’s under peer pressure to stay cool and uphold a tough guy image. They fall out, argue, make up, their friends are equally unstable. Oh and there’s the small matter of some truly memorable songs and dances too.

As full of gusto as it is cheese, Grease is the musical that’s hard to dislike. The acting is so-so, the direction one dimensional and the plot could have been written on a 50s beer mat. Yet we love it because of its faults, the kooky charm that sidles up alongside those roaring tunes. We care not that these actors are too old to play high schoolers, the fun is watching them have fun being teens again. Hell there’s even innuendo unbound and cheeky lyrics for those of an adult mind. A truly great, fun movie, that’s longevity shows no time of ending any time soon. Watch it, enjoy, sing along, pick a favourite tune and character, and then salute it; for Grease is the word baby. 9/10

Review by Wayne Malin

Well….the songs are good,

Dreadful mish-mash. A musical about sweet, lovable Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) in love with hood Danny Zuko (John Travolta). Tedious and predictable complications ensure. It all ends up with Sandy deciding to become a tramp (she’s wearing a skin-tight leather outfit at the end) to get the man she loves. Great message to the girls in America–you can’t get the guy you love by being sweet so be a tramp and you’ll get him.

I’ve never liked this movie. With a few exceptions the actors REALLY overact to an embarrassing degree. The guys who played the T Birds were particularly annoying–they acted like a bunch of hyperactive fourth graders. The dance numbers (I’m being charitable to call them that) are disasters. Except for the prom dance they’re all over the place. Especially during the “Summer Nights” number–it seems like everybody is dancing to totally different songs! The script has Mickey Mouse dialogue and is chockful of crude stupid jokes (most of which are edited out of the TV prints).

There are a few things that save this from total disaster. Newton-John is very sweet and pretty as Sandy. Travolta overacts–but in an engaging way. Jeff Conaway as his best buddy is very good. Also Stockard Channing (who was 30 when she made this) is on target as Rizzo. She also gets a chance to belt out her own number “There Are Worse Things I Could Do”. Also the songs are great–“Summer Nights”, “Hopelessly Devoted to You”, “You’re the One That I Want”, “Greased Lightning”… Too bad they’re all so ineptly staged.

I have seen the movie multiple times–but only as camp. It’s something I just watch and wonder at. How did something so badly done get to be such a big hit? Channing herself has openly said she hates the movie. And I find the message this movie gives to be very troubling.

I give it a 5 but that’s only for the music and some of the acting. As a movie this rates a 1.