Why Grease Is Great and Why (Some) Hate

Rating: 10/10 (8 August 2018)

You can probably already see my rating of 10 stars as you start to read this review. Knowing that, you may also know I'm not going to just put out paragraph after paragraph, praising it and telling you why I like it. I wont even go into the plot, we all know it.
I'll be as brief as possible. Yes, I was 10 in 1978 and watched the ABC show, "Welcome Back, Kotter" which featured Travolta. ..but, I had also sen him in the TV movie 'The Boy In The Plastic Bubble'. ('Saturday Night Fever' was too adult for me in '77-'78.) So, yes it was that he's the star and I already liked Olivia Newton-John too.
I used to watch the variety show "Sha-Na-Na". That's the group who were 'Johnny Casino & The Gamblers. Lastly, it was set in my mother & father's teen year , much like 'Happy Days' , so that's all I needed. At that age one's mind (usually) is pretty open to something like this and it appealed to me instantly.
As I got older I came to understand or finally notice, the more adult elements Yes, one of them being those 'words' in the Greased Lightning song and also the more mature themes. All of this actually gels well in a film that's set in a time where these things weren't always (or maybe never) talked about in the home.
This movie is a favorite because from start to end, the young players put all of their energies into the song and dance numbers., all of them put every bit of themselves into their roles and most of all, in case no one noticed, this movie has a perfect balance of comedy, music , wonderfully choreographed dancing and serious elements. Not 'too' serious or else you'd be watching a musical remake of 'Rebel Without A Cause'. For me it's just fun and enjoyable. That's all it is for me.
Now, anyone out there who thinks that it was 'easy' to put a film like this together (and based from a stage play as well), knows nothing about movie making and in terms of dancing, how tough it is for a choreographer to get everyone's movements in synch together.
As for 'bursting into song' , in a good musical, there has to be a justified reason for someone to start singing. They can' for example be talking one minute and then suddenly sing "La Bamba" (or whatever), it has to make sense. Mainly, it's a faster way of telling the story. If Danny just stood there on the bleachers and talked bout his summer, that's not as interesting. The 'Summer Nights' song helps both Danny and Sandy tell the story, without overuse of dialog. As do all of the other other songs .
The 'Born To Hand Jive' number at the school dance is nothing short of everyone giving their all. Especially Travolta and Newton John (and then the women who takes over from Sandy.) The whole dance number is electric. Sounds 70's you say? So what? This is a musical and YES entertainment and gee, t's supposed to be fun. Who cares if some musical liberties are taken?
The closing song 'We Go Together' is almost as energetic and in the extras on my DVD, the choreographer stated how proud she was of that cast of young people, whose youthful enthusiasm and energy and dedication made that and all the other numbers what they should be. Entertaining.
Yes all the actors are over 21 and into 30's, this was a common Hollywood practice at he time. Movie makers wanted to deal with those more professional that know 'time is money' and will be reliable. They also want people who have confidence in themselves and their abilities. Along with the fact people over 21 have more time to be on the set. For my money, they all did a great job acting like teen agers.
About Sandy, everyone seems to forget hat Danny also was trying to change some too , by getting into athletics, which is a god way to learn that everything isn't all about him and what he wants. He was finally, just as willing to change for her and she was for him at the end. She made that choice herself because as the song Grease states 'conventionality belongs to yesterday'.
She was what society 'then' said a girl should be, a 'good girl' but (sorry t say by the way) in the world of youth, it's tough to be an individual. Parents wanted (and still do) their kids to be what they say or their peers want them to be the near opposite.
I reviewed Grease 2 sometime ago on here and it was easy to pinpoint what's wrong with that film. For the reviews I read here, they all seemed to be either based on their ONE and only one viewing of the movie or they're all hung up in the ending where Sandy changes her personality. (To put it lightly).
How can you see a film that's good (based on the fact it did well and people continue to love it 40 years later) only 1 time and say 'this is lousy' (?) If musicals don;t appeal to you, OK that's fair but seen those who aren't into musicals can find something positive.
If you cannot let yourself be entertained by a movie and forget all you know about the 'real world' and just lighten up,you can enjoy 'Grease'. If you're going to sit there and watch for 'goofs' , editing mistakes. something to hate about it from the start or even worse..... 'a lesson/message' , well ,you wont enjoy it. These are all the WRONG reasons to watch a movie. Especially a musical.
Lastly, in regards to those saying seethe play. Well hey, not everyone can afford something like that and secondly, if anyone in 1978 or now, thought this would be 'like the play', they were crazy to think it would be in the first place.
For me, last time, 'Grease' is a great movie just for all that it is and even at 50, none of it's appeal or my enjoyment of it has been or ever will be lost. It hs nothing to do with nostalgia or feeling younger again....I love the movie, period.
I'm only sorry it took me this long to review it.
(END)