Finally seen the patriarch of modern musicals...and it's the...one that I want

Rating: 9/10 (25 December 2007)

This is one of my girlfriend's favorite films and yet I have never seen it!! It took me nearly thirty years to sit down and watch it. Grease's pop culture pull is easy to see...I mean I recognized nearly every number, and different scenes that have been re-created or poked fun at, or just been on people's lips. I don't know if that added to the film but I was blown away because Grease is just a blast. I suppose it only stood to reason since Grease single handedly jump started the career of John Travolta and re-started the musical genre for the big screen and is literally a timeless classic. I'm not sure I've ever heard anything bad about it. I found a few very minor things that stopped it from being truly a perfect film and making it not my favorite musical but still incredible and a must see!! The first thing that really turned me sour on the film is the age of the cast. Yes I know, it's a commonly poked fun of thing and some, if not most, of the cast were from the original Broadway show but there is still something disturbing and insulting to the viewers to watch 30 year olds trying to portray High School students. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are the only two that come close to pulling it off and they aren't young either in the film.
John Travolta plays the timeless Danny Zuko. Cool, suave, rough and tough and having fallen in love over the summer he now has to remain cool in front of his friends when his love shows up at school. Travolta IS Danny Zuko and I'm not sure anyone could ever play Zuko with the same style or pizazz. His dance moves are timeless and flawless and his campy and cool Zuko is dead on. The lovely Olivia Newton-John is Sandy Olsson, Travolta's love interest. She is absolutely perfect as the polar opposite Sandy to Travolta's Greaser Danny. They have amazing chemistry despite their differences and Newton-John has a style and flair for the musical numbers too. She is perfect. Stockard Channing is the fire-y and outspoken Rizzo. Now she is one of the worst when it comes to age...she looks like she's forty (she almost was---34 to be exact) but trying to play eighteen-ish? Still she does the part very well and definitely makes Rizzo the character she is supposed to be...she is just far too old. Jeff Conaway is the trouble making best friend to Travolta's Zuka...Kenickie. Conaway was only 28, a virtual baby compared to some of the cast but he still looks too old. Still he does a decent job of capturing the Greaser style and look. Didi Conn has to be given mention as the adorable and sassy Frenchy. She does a terrific job and it's easy to see why she is so many fans' favorite. The rest of the cast is equally good and they have a great ensemble.
The cast is legendary and have become icons because of this film and yet I think this is far more about the musical numbers, the dances and the historical and memorable scenes..."Don't make laugh Sandy ha ha ha." It was even more fun watching for the first time because it was like seeing history in action. I knew of almost every scene, every dance number, every character just from having people talk about it and scenes from other films references. "Greased Lightning", "The One That I Want" and "Summer Lovin'" were just awesome and I could watch them again and again. The film definitely must have been considered a little racy even for the seventies considering it deals with "Teen" Pregnancy, drinking, sex, and some rather vulgar language and sexual references. Director Randal Kleiser never did another musical...before or after Grease and yet was able to create a masterpiece of musical cinema. He has had some great films since and was an icon of the eighties and even though he may have slipped a little since then, he will forever be remembered for creating Grease. If you're a hesitant musical fan, or never seen Grease you MUST!! It will MAKE you a fan and you'll love it and if you are a musical fan who has never seen it...I can't tell you how much you need to see it. Grease is a knock out!! 9/10