Zestful version of the Broadway hit...

Rating: 6/10 (6 January 2007)

GREASE is the movie version of a Broadway hit that began off-Broadway, where I saw it originally--and always remember it fondly because it provided me with a good glimpse of someone who just happened to be in the audience that day--INGRID BERGMAN with her son, Roberto. Saw her in the lobby during intermission and she was avoiding eye contact, and seemed to enjoy being "left alone". At the time, I thought it was odd that Bergman wanted to see GREASE, a strictly American type of look at the high school experience that she probably had no part of.
Anyway, the film is full of pop songs that were high on the chart at the time with the standard number of stock characters you'd expect to find at Rydell High School. JOHN TRAVOLTA and OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN are the leads, Travolta repeating his Broadway role as Danny. Frankly, as the years passed, I became less and less interested in Travolta as an actor/celebrity--ditto with Olivia Newton-John--but this, apart from Saturday NIGHT FEVER, is probably tailor-made for his brand of singing and dancing.
The talented supporting cast adds a lot to the proceedings--STOCKARD CHANNING, SID CAESAR, EVE ARDEN, JEFF CONAWAY and JOAN BLONDELL all contribute nicely to the overall flavor.
Not my idea of a "favorite musical" (unlike so many of the commentators here), but it passes the time quickly and amusingly.