Grease

Very few films can say they have impacted a time period and pop culture the way that Grease did. There were plenty of coming-of-age high school movies in the 70s that presented typical adolescent shenanigans in a upbeat manner, but something about this 1978 musical-turned-feature seemed to really tickle the fancies of everybody who saw it, as it became the highest grossing musical film of the year,  dominated the music space with albums featuring the film’s soundtrack topping charts, earned several nominations at both the Golden Globes and the Oscars, and birthed a legacy through its distinct personality that many future movies set in high school would try to emulate, with the most obvious being the Disney channel phenomenon, High School Musical (which also developed its own cult status). With the passage of time, it’s interesting to look back on this film and ponder whether it’s been able to retain its golden status or if its finally grown past its histrionic fledgling years.

In the summer of 1958, an American teen named Danny Zuko (played by John Travolta) enters a short summer fling with an Australian girl Sandy Olsson (played by Olivia Newton-John), and although they think they’ll never see each other again, Sandy stays in America and winds up enrolling at Rydell High School, the same school Danny attends. She quickly learns however that the soft and gentle boy she met on the beach is actually the leader of a greaser gang known as the T-Birds, and this public image causes him to dismiss Sandy and misinterpret the events in order to retain his bad boy pedigree, breaking Sandy’s heart. With Sandy becoming friends with The Pink Ladies (a greaser girl clique) and Danny silently wanting to still be with her, these crazy kids need to figure out their relationship in the messy battlefield of high school and see if they can reform their love even with entirely different schoolyard personas.

While certainly still liked by those who saw it originally and even some years later, Grease is not as spotless as the past built it up to be, and its initial mixed reception plus the general failure of most follow-up projects within the universe, paints a less than perfect picture for the brand. In spite of this, the energized performances, candy-floss atmosphere and visual design, and its surprisingly solid portrayal of two totally different time periods, still makes it a fun rewatch.

Initially starting off as a book, then later a musical made in 1971 by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, the story of two teens in the 1950s trying to get together during the chaos of their high school years may still be present in later versions, but this originator had a vulgarity and unpolished attitude, and contained a lot more adult and graphic themes, risqué content, and a period-appropriate atmosphere and vibe (so much so that it would continually be toned down with each passing showcase). Meant to act as somewhat of a subversion of a lot of 1950s tropes shown through a story about the 1950s working-class youth greaser culture (hence the title of Grease), these elements were drastically changed for this movie, with first time feature-film director, Randal Kleiser, changing the setting from an urban Chicago area to something more suburban and local, and twisting the narrative from something that spoke bitter truths under the lens of comedic satire, into something a lot more jovial and even tacky with just a hint of occasional inappropriateness sprinkled throughout. The producers of the film, Robert Stigwood and Allan Carr (who also helped adapt the story) had a lot of control over who would be cast in the film, the manner in which it would be changed from one medium to the other, and tried to keep the film at a level that met the requirements placed onto them by Paramount (the studio leading the project).

Considering how much of the film has been stripped of its original wild personality, the film seems to benefit a lot from this new direction, preventing an experience that might’ve come across as brutal and unpleasant, and instead delivering something that can feel a little mindless, but is at its core pretty light and enjoyable. The plot written this time by screenwriter, Bronté Woodard (who helped restructure the film after the changes were added and original components were removed), doesn’t do a good job making the story any less stripped back or simple, and the dialogue and circumstances can still feel a little dated and not very appropriate, but on the flip side, the passion behind the performers, the liveliness behind the musical numbers, and the authentic charm put behind the visuals and set design, helps make it delightfully simple-minded. It’s also a pretty nice time capsule of both the 70s and the 50s, as while an odd mixture, it surprisingly works pretty well as neither cancel each other out and they arguably assist in giving the film a distinct personality.

The characters are certainly stereotypes of the era and can feel a little dated in terms of how they interact and go about dealing with what is otherwise a very juvenile situation. The conflicts are barely addressed and therefore don’t leave much of an impression, the romances are laced with problematic components that ruin what could be otherwise charming couples due to the actors sharing solid chemistry, and even though the film is led by mostly normal teen issues and doesn’t have much of an over-arching narrative, it doesn’t feel like you get to know these people that well. In spite of this, everyone is at least given a sense of personality, and the actors are dedicated to playing these parts in a very passionate and even corny manner. While they look nothing like high schoolers, they do visually fit the roles of these archetypes, and most of the leads are given individual time to stand out. John Travolta had already worked alongside both Stigwood and Kleiser in the past (with Stigwood directing Saturday Night Fever, and Kleiser directing the TV movie, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble) so he feels comfortable in this tone and plays the role of Danny as well as could be expected. While the character doesn’t have a lot to work with outside of looking cool, and his singing is good but can be a little silly, his attitude, composure and choreography during the musical numbers helps make him feel believable as this character, and his occasional bouts of sweetness make him tolerable to be around.

Olivia Newton-John was still a newcomer to acting at this point, but she still does a passable enough job as Sandy. It’s nice that the world’s more hoaky quality means that her inexperience doesn’t show too strongly, and her singing as expected is phenomenal, so they got what they paid her for. A lot of the T-Birds are pretty unlikeable as they’re nothing more than boyish stereotypes who push too many boundaries with women, but Kelly Ward, Michael Tucci, Barry Pearl and especially Jeff Conaway at least act their roles well enough, and their over-the-top portrayal does makes them come across as mindlessly foolish. The Pink Ladies are treated a lot better as, whilst still being stereotypes, they’re allowed to have more rounded personalities and stand out as individual characters. Stockard Channing is pretty good as Rizzo (even though her singing is a little odd in moments), Didi Conn is really likeable as Frenchy and provides a gentle quirkiness that never feels tropey, and Jamie Donnelly and Dinah Manoff are also pretty good as the ones in the background. There are a few supporting roles that stand out like Eve Arden as the school principal, Sid Caeser as the school’s coach, Alice Ghostly as the school’s auto-shop teacher, and Susan Beckner as the overly preppy head cheerleader, but the film mostly just sticks to its main cast, so they never take up too much time.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this film is its cultural mixture of the 1950s and the 1970s as while it’s set in the 50s, so many filmmaking decision screams of the 70s, which makes for a wonderfully unique time capsule of both periods. It definitely has the production design of a 1950s suburban high school residence (with this being handled by Phillip M. Jeffries) which can also be said for the costume design by Albert Wolsky (particularly with the outfits for both the T-Birds and The Pink Ladies), yet the personality behind the directing and even some of the visuals feels very much like something out of the 70s. The film doesn’t necessarily look grungy or dirty, but it has a muted quality to some of its visuals, and the camera quality, audio quality and even some of the performances are very much a product of the time that helps give the film at least a little bit of an edge.

The musical numbers are easily the most recognizable part of the whole film, and even though they don’t really progress the story in any way, they’re still good tunes that keep your entertained. With Barry Gibb from The Bee Gees setting the mood right away with a very 70s themed opening number, the 1950s swing/rock n roll sound blended with a 1970s disco grove style results in an nicely paired musical identity which makes all the numbers feel punchy and fun. They can be a bit abrupt and don’t always transition very smoothly, but they elevate the film’s lighter tone, give all the performers the chance to showcase their musical talents, the choreography by Patricia Birch keeps everything mobile and full of life, and whether it’s a soft romantic tune or a more flashy number with flamboyant dancing, they all looked and sound pretty great, with cinematography by Bill Butler displaying the actors and the environment in an open and well-framed manner.

Grease may not be the showstopper it once was, but it doesn’t feel like it’s due to people turning on it but rather altering how they perceive it. Because the film is self-aware enough about its shortcomings, its allowed it to age surprisingly nicely in spite of its obvious dated qualities, and through its light-hearted atmosphere, comes a film that might not have a lot to say and may have been neutered next to its past presentation, but is more digestible and a lot less controversial (even though it does still have some collar-tugging moments). The cast is very passionate and can be charming when they aren’t bogged down by some questionable writing choices, the production may not be outlandish, but is well utilized and gives the film character, and even if it is a bit dated, the way it incorporates both time periods and portrays a delightfully phony portrayal of a period of life everyone has to begrudgingly go through (school is never chaotic in this manner, yet movies constantly want to tell you they are) makes it slightly more wholesome in its own weird way. Grease Lighting might not make chicks scream anymore (or the ‘other thing’’ that was actually said in film), but it will at least get their and most others attention.