Family-Fun Movie Flunk

Rating: 6/10 (4 December 2015)

Over 37 years ago Grease came out as a family movie but because of the way this movie talks about the issue of sex, it fails as a family movie. Looking at the scenes of making out in cars, the way it handles the issue of accidental pregnancy, and the raunchy lyrics of some of the songs all suggest this gets an 'F' as a family movie.
The movie opens with a scene on the beach. Danny Zuko (John Travolta) suggests that sex will make his new found love with Sandy Olsen (Olivia Newton-John) complete. Comments from the T-Bird gang throughout the movie talk about sex in a physical, vulgar way. This is seen specifically in the Drive-In scene when the camera panos a display of teenagers making out in cars, Danny and Sandy being one of them. Danny makes a move on Sandy by grabbing her breast without her consent. This is an issue because Danny doesn't consider how Sandy feels about their physical relationship which coincides with their emotional one as well.
Continuing with the film there is a school dance scene where the dancing is sexually suggestive, Rizzo and the Pink Ladies gang go off with random guys in cars and the T- Birds look up girls' skirts on the bleachers. Visually, in this movie, there is a lot of foggy car windows, horizontal kissing, and overly composed high school scenes, giving this movie less credentials to be deemed for the family. Yes, in high school there are things your kids will see they are unfamiliar with regarding sex, but Grease over dramatizes the high school scene and suggest that the only way of dealing with sex is to sleep around and go until you are pushed too far.
Of course, in all family movies there is the pregnancy scare--NOT. The central argument of this film and how it handles the issue of virginity which later advances to the conflict of a pregnancy scare objectifies the female characters. The dialogue Grease and how it talks about this pregnancy scare might be a problem to contemporary viewers with its representation of women: rather than showing women as powerful figures who take charge of their circumstances, Grease's women are "beauty school drop-outs," "hopelessly devoted" to abusive males, and characterized insultingly as skanks and sluts--except for the most virtuous of them, who is "lousy with virginity."
The music performance is what makes Grease a family favorite and this is where contemporary audiences justify Grease as a family-fun movie. Some the of lyrics to the soundtrack include: "lousy with virginity," "I'm losing control," "I need a man who can keep me satisfied," and "she got friendly down in the sand." The lyrics and performances continue to press the issue of sex, and the raunchy lyrics suggest the topic of sex should just be tossed around only for pleasure and fun and game.
Subliminal messages and sexual content is seen all over the screen. From Rizzo's getaway from the sleepover and pregnancy scare to the rampant sex scenes in the cars, the constant theme of sex is widely distributed in the film. One might argue this is a family movie because of Sandy and her strong values but that argument only holds true right up into the end. Sandy drops all morals and standards to be with Danny. Yeah, that's the message we want for all our daughters. Passed generations have celebrated Grease as a family fun movie but contemporary parents, based on the world we live in that is more open to talking about issues regarding sex, should be more skeptical of Grease's sex crazed characters.