Grease
Reviews
Cat Ellington
Grease is definitely the word! ... When my family (my mother, my brother, and I) went out on our traditional weekly "Movie Date Night" (as we so lovingly named it during that time) to see Grease at the Chicago Theater, "Thank God It's Friday" had been playing at the old State and Lake Theater right across the street from the CT. And me being a hopeless Donna Summer fanatic, naturally I'd wanted to see "TGIF" too, but it had to be Grease, first, because our tix were purchased in advance ... And also because we were only committed to one movie at a time...sometimes. đ I was glad, however, that we got to see Grease, because I was in love with this film by the time it ended. It was one of my most cherished childhood experiences/memories. And I still hold it dear today. This Randal Kleiser directed musical was one of the greatest cinematic oeuvres of its time - even today, undergoing readaptations for the stage, and entertaining both past and present generations. In Grease, the film, John Travolta (my guy) and Olivia Newton-John (my girl) star as Danny and Sandy, who meet one summer at the beach and fall madly in love. However, there's one problem: Danny is a local fella (and a 'T-birds greaser gang member'), while Sandy (pure and clean-cut from Australia) is only in town vacationing for the summer. When the summer ends, their newfound (and passionate) relationship may also have to. But will it?... Set in 1950s California, Grease is a motion picture for the Hollywood history books. It is tremendously directed, with a beautifully-composed soundtrack. And the cast? Well, what can you say when you have a gifted supporting ensemble of some of the best in their respective crafts: Stockard Channing, Frankie Avalon, Eve Arden, Joan Blondell, Sha-Na-Na, Sid Ceasar, and Alice Ghostley, among a talented bundle of others. Grease is one of my all-time favorites. The story is grade A, and so are the legendary performances, as is the equally fabled soundtrack to which it is set. I love this movie, and highly recommend it to everyone ... Especially those of you, who like me, harbor a passion for musicals.
John 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
SierraKiloBravo
Click here for a video version of this review: https://youtu.be/gvGcY-PMazg I donât even know when I added it to my watchlist, but working through my backlog, the musical _Grease_ suddenly became the next movie to watch. This is of course a classic and I cannot name one person who does know at least one song from it. So, deep in your brain somewhere, youâre probably aware generally of what this is about, but here is the official description: _Good girl Sandy Olsson and greaser Danny Zuko fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?_ Made in 1978 but set in 1958 this is a whole lot of toe tapping fun. Almost all of the songs are instantly recognisable, and although I will never admit it, I may or may not have slid across our kitchen tiles on my knees after watching it, yelling âitâs ELECTRIFYINGâ. Whatâs interesting watching this now is how lewd this is. So much of this went way over my head when watching this as a kid. Condoms breaking, calling cars pussy wagons, singing about chicks creaming and swimsuits getting damp, I forgot how much double entendre and innuendo there is in the song lyrics and the movie as a whole. Whatâs even more interesting is the theory of how Sandy in fact died on the beach in the opening scene and that the rest of the film is the dying, oxygen starved fantasy of her brain. Think about it - in the song âSummer Nightsâ from Sandyâs point of view, Danny says that when he met Sandy, âI saved her life; she nearly drowned.â What if I told you that, in reality, she _did_ drown hence why on the beach Sandy, as she enters the alternate plane asks him âIs this the end?â He replies, âOf course not. Itâs only the beginning.â She then has the dying brain fantasy of a year of high school romance with Danny, the visions get more and more outlandish as the time passes, before, at the climax of the movie she and Danny drive off in a car that leaves the ground and drives off into heaven, in what we can only speculate are her final moments. Anyway thatâs something to think about next time you watch it. Either way itâs a good fun movie and always worth a watch.
Andre Gonzales
This oddly enough is the one and only Musical I like. I like a couple of the songs too. It's a classic, everyone in the world knows this movie.
CinemaSerf
"Sandy" (Olivia Newton John) is a well brought up young girl who meets and falls in love with "Danny" (John Travolta) during summer break in late 1950's California. When they both start high school, though, we discover she to be the archetypical preppie-type who hangs about with Stockard Channing's "Pink Ladies" and he the leader of the "T-Birds" - the school's leather and white T-shirt clad greasers. Their obvious attraction to each other is hemmed in by their respective roles at school and they've got to find a way to sort it out! Channing is the star for me in this film. She's great as "Rizzo" - loads of attitude, earthy wisdom and "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" - that helps "Sandy" to hook her man. Along with some entertainingly well choreographed dance routines, the other songs are superb too - a mixture of toe tappers and sloppy ballads from the likes of Frankie Valli, Frankie Avalon and of course, the two stars with "You're the One That I Want" and "Summer Nights" that frequently outdo the rather banal script. It's a gently engaging, slightly competitive love story that, though a bit dated now, was certainly an important film as I grew up!
Movie Recommendation
Grease 21982-06-11It's 1961, two years after the original Grease gang graduated, and there's a new crop of seniors and new members of the coolest cliques on campus, the Pink Ladies and T-Birds. Michael Carrington is the new kid in school - but he's been branded a brainiac. Can he fix up an old motorcycle, don a leather jacket, avoid a rumble with the leader of the T-Birds, and win the heart of Pink Lady Stephanie?More...
Dirty Dancing1987-08-21Expecting the usual tedium that accompanies a summer in the Catskills with her family, 17-year-old Frances 'Baby' Houseman is surprised to find herself stepping into the shoes of a professional hooferâand unexpectedly falling in love.More...
Saturday Night Fever1977-12-16Tony spends his Saturdays at a disco where his stylish moves raise his popularity among the patrons. But his life outside the disco is not easy and things change when he gets attracted to Stephanie.More...
Hairspray2007-07-19Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad auditions to be on Baltimore's most popular dance show - The Corny Collins Show - and lands a prime spot. Through her newfound fame, she becomes determined to help her friends and end the racial segregation that has been a staple of the show.More...
Grease Live2016-01-31After enjoying a holiday romance, high school students Danny and Sandy are unexpectedly reunited when she transfers to Rydell High, where she must contend with cynical Rizzo and the Pink Ladies.More...
Ghost1990-07-13After a young man is murdered, his spirit stays behind to warn his lover of impending danger, with the help of a reluctant psychic.More...
Pretty Woman1990-03-23While on a business trip in Los Angeles, Edward Lewis, a millionaire entrepreneur who makes a living buying and breaking up companies, picks up a prostitute, Vivian, while asking for directions; after, Edward hires Vivian to stay with him for the weekend to accompany him to a few social events, and the two get closer only to discover there are significant hurdles to overcome as they try to bridge the gap between their very different worlds.More...
The Rocky Horror Picture Show1975-08-14After getting a flat tire, two sweethearts discover the eerie mansion of a flamboyant scientist and houseful of wild characters. Through elaborate dance and rock songs, the mad scientist unveils his latest creation: a perfect, muscular man.More...
Mamma Mia!2008-07-03A spirited young bride-to-be living with her single mother on a small Greek island secretly invites three of her mother's ex-boyfriends in hope of finding her biological father to walk her down the aisle.More...
Staying Alive1983-07-11It's five years later and Tony Manero's Saturday Night Fever is still burning. Now he's strutting toward his biggest challenger yet - making it as a dancer on the Broadway stage.More...
Fame1980-05-16A chronicle of the lives of several teenagers who attend a New York high school for students gifted in the performing arts.More...
The Sound of Music1965-03-02In the years before the Second World War, a tomboyish postulant at an Austrian abbey is hired as a governess in the home of a widowed naval captain with seven children, and brings a new love of life and music into the home.More...
Mary Poppins1964-12-17Mr Banks is looking for a nanny for his two mischievous children and comes across Mary Poppins, an angelic nanny. She not only brings a change in their lives but also spreads happiness.More...
Flashdance1983-04-14Alex Owens, a young woman juggling between two odd jobs, aspires to become a successful ballet dancer. Nick, who is her boss and lover, supports and encourages her to fulfil her dream.More...
Cry-Baby1990-04-06A prim and proper schoolgirl goes against her society grandmother's wishes when she dates a motorcycle-riding juvenile delinquent.More...
Look Who's Talking1989-10-12Mollie is a single working mother who's out to find the perfect father for her child. Her baby, Mikey, prefers James, a cab driver turned babysitter who has what it takes to make them both happy. But Mollie won't even consider James. It's going to take all the tricks a baby can think of to bring them together before it's too late.More...
Gremlins1984-06-08After receiving an exotic small animal as a Christmas gift, a young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet, which unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous creatures on a small town.More...
Superman1978-12-14Mild-mannered Clark Kent works as a reporter at the Daily Planet alongside his crush, Lois Lane. Clark must summon his superhero alter-ego when the nefarious Lex Luthor launches a plan to take over the world.More...
Annie1982-05-21An orphan in a facility run by the mean Miss Hannigan, Annie believes that her parents left her there by mistake. When a rich man named Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks decides to let an orphan live at his home to promote his image, Annie is selected. While Annie gets accustomed to living in Warbucks' mansion, she still longs to meet her parents. So Warbucks announces a search for them and a reward, which brings out many frauds.More...
Footloose1984-02-17When teenager Ren and his family move from big-city Chicago to a small town in the West, he's in for a real case of culture shock after discovering he's living in a place where music and dancing are illegal.More...
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