Fun for everyone, but does it send a bad message?

Rating: 9/10 (17 November 2005)

Perhaps the best musical of all time, surely right up there with "The Wizard of Oz" and "Chicago", this 1977 film set in the 1950's and based on the play of the same name is fun from the opening credits until closing - and beyond.
The musical numbers are outstanding, "Summer Nights" "Hopelessly Devoted To You", "We Go Together", "You're The One That I Want" and "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" are among my favourites. All the cast sing well and the dancing is amazing. Everyone looks great in the 1950's style outfits too, and the hair is awesome.
Of course Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta and Stockard Channing are the stars of the show and are each amazing in their own right, but the supporting cast is terrific too. In particular, Didi Conn who plays Frenchy and, my favourite Dinah Manoff as the sultry Marty. Watch for Susan Buckner and Lorenzo Lamas in smallish roles as the school over-achiever and the school jock respectively. And let's not forget about Eve Arden and Dody Goodman as the school principal and her assistant, both so very funny.
The one problem I see with this film is that it seems to send the message that if you want to be accepted by a new group of people then you need to change how you present yourself. All throughout the movie, Sandy (Newton-John) was never truly accepted by the Pink Ladies (except Frenchy), and Danny (Travolta) couldn't act like he liked her in front of his friends. I realise that those are genuine issues that take place at school, but the end result is disappointing, for Sandy changed her appearance and attitude, so everyone else could stay (mostly) the same. Still, it makes for a amazing movie.