Late to the party.

Rating: 8/10 (6 February 2020)

I had managed to avoid watching Grease for 44 years. The reason being that Grease is primarily a movie for girls. The reason I say that is that even as a child I can vividly remember girls reactions to the movie which was basically the same as they would to a boy band. This response is guaranteed to repel any male.
Not to mention its basically a love story from the female perspective and the males are basically goofballs along for the ride. All of the main characters are female, dont believe me? How many males versus females get their own song?
There are some very odd complaints about this movie which are common. First is they thinks its anti-women. Which is impossible being a female focused cast. The other so called "anti-feminist" belief about the movie is that they think the message to girls is they have to change for a man. This is bizarre. We know that both the lead male and female make superficial attempts to change for each other. So to argue that its only the female who makes an effort to change is easily proven wrong. Not only that but if anyone genuinely believes that changing your clothes and hairstyle (which they both did) means a change in personality then psychological science has it all wrong. Everyone has to make allowances for their partners but in this case it was basically two people who made small changes in order to be closer and in effect try and take on some of the others' personality or likes, to be together. The thing is it was obvious that this wasn't actually required of either of them.
What made me actually watch this was the current trend of live orchestral music during a movie. This is not a cheap option as its basically attending theatre (with theatre prices) while a movie plays. This is expensive event cinema. Luckily for me I obtained a complimentary ticket and attended, so this review is from someone who caught this as a movie with live orchestra which greatly enhanced the event. Basically without this I was unlikely to watch this on a big screen.Other odd complaints are that it feels dated (it was set in the 50s) or its not serious enough. If you want serious there is always Rumble Fish. This a musical comedy and supposed to be fun. Which it is. The enthusiasm of the cast and their joy on screen is what elevates this movie. Basically the grumps who dislike this are basically saying they don't enjoy watching people have a good time. Yes these people exist.
The music is iconic and the performances perfect, yes we all know that they arent kids in this movie but hey, if it was it wouldn't be as good.
There isn't much else to say about this apart from if you havent seen it you should as its part of the best American movies ever made. If your a guy, try your best to avoid watching it with large numbers of females (because they will get overly excited and sing along). And if you do get the chance watch it with the live orchestra, it brings a whole new level of enjoyment.