Grease celebration of the wide-eyed enthusiasm of youth
“Grease” celebration of the wide-eyed enthusiasm of youth
By Rene Rodriguez
Knight Ridder Newspapers
If you’ve ever seen “Grease” at all, you’ve probably seen it more than once. How could you not? The movie’s infectious charm grows on you like a doo-wop fungus. Once seen, this silly little piece of 1950s fantasy is surprisingly hard to shake: It leaves you craving for another hit.
That was certainly the case in the summer of 1978, when “Grease” became the most successful movie musical of all time (its worldwide gross stands at $340 million and counting), Amazingly, it’s still the case today, all these cynical years later, as the film is sent back into theaters for its 20th anniversary.
Watching John Travolta as Danny and Olivia Newton-John as Sandy dance their way through “Born to Hand Jive” is as much of a thrill now as it was the first time (it’s the best piece of choreography in the entire film). “Summer Nights” still delivers a giddy, adolescent kick. It may be the most exhilarating “he said-she said” musical number ever put on film.) And as the audience reaction at a recent preview screening proved, it remains physically impossible not to sing along to “You’re the One That I Want” or at least hum to it.
It’s not a question of whether “Grease” still stands up: Truth is, it was never a great movie to begin with. When it debuted on June 16, 1978, it met with a cool reception from critics. (The New York Times’ Vincent Canby wrote, “Because there haven’t been that many movie musicals recently, it doesn’t mean much to say “Grease” is the best we’ve had in years.”)
There’s no denying “Grease” has some awfully cheesy moments. Its boy-meets-girl storyline zigs and zags almost at random (Danny and Sandy seem to break up, then make up, a dozen times). Most of the cast members make for ridiculously old teenagers (as bad-girl Rizzo, Stockard Channing holds the distinction of being the only high school student in movie history with crow’s feet). And director Randal Kleiser, who made his feature debut with “Grease,” often didn’t know what to do with the camera (the drag race near the movie’s end, for example, is shockingly inept).
But “Grease’s” clunkiness is irrelevant: It was the music, after all, that was the secret to the film’s magic (although as the ill-fated “Grease 2” proved a few years later, the pairing of Travolta and Newton-John had a lot to do with the movie’s success as well).
“Grease” isn’t the rosy-cheeked ode to 1950s Innocence everyone remembers (the movie is replete with some very funny double entendres, most of which sail right over younger viewers’ heads). It is more a celebration of the wide-eyed enthusiasm of youth, a bright sock hop of a movie where even the messiest problems can be resolved with a song, a dance and a kiss. In many ways, it’s like a live-action Disney cartoon, which explains its strong appeal to kids.
For its re-release, “Grease’s” beloved sound-track has been remixed into six-track Dolby Stereo, which basically means that “Greased Lightning” has never sounded better. Watching the movie on the big screen is a requirement, since the film was shot in wide screen format (on video, you’re literally seeing only half the picture).
“Grease” carries dual retro appeal for today’s audiences-it makes you feel as nostalgic for the late 1970s as it does for the 1950s-and it’s also the last great movie musical to come out of Hollywood. A-wop-bop-a-loop-bop, indeed.
GREASE, Rated PG, 3 stars - Cast: John Travolta; Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Didi Conn. Director: Randal Kleiser. Producers: Robert Stigwood, Allan Carr. Screenwriter: Bronte Woodard. A Paramount Pictures release. Running time: 112 minutes. Sexual innuendo.