"Grease" by Randal Kleiser: a review

Grease the movie was first released on June 16, 1978, and over 30 years later you are still likely to find it playing on one of the cable stations late at night. A perfect movie to watch if you are suffering from insomnia! Who would have thought that a musical originally written for the stage could cross over to the big screen and still find an endearing piece in so many hearts as it lives on for all eternity? The central story of Grease centers around a good girl Sandy who falls for a resident greaser named Danny over the summer, only to find out that when they return to school they are both in the same high school.

After returning to school the members of Danny’s T-birds want a full recount of his summer fling, while similarly Sandy’s group of The Pink Ladies are also wanting to hear her story. Little do the two know that they are both going to end up at the same school, since Danny believes that Sandy had to return to Australia. The two find that their reunion is marred by Danny’s desire to keep his cool image which is very off putting for Sandy and she leaves in tears. Later the two seek solace in their cliques as Danny works with his guys to fix up a race car, and Sandy attends a sleepover with her girlfriends.

The movie continues to follow the often tumultuous relationship of Danny and Sandy as he continues to try to get past her good girl defenses by being the cool guy and she rebuffs his every advance. At one point she throws his ring back at him at the local drive-in after he tries to make a move to make out with her. It isn’t until she witnesses the car race between Danny and Leo through the drainage basin for the Los Angeles River that she begins to question her own identity. It is then that she makes a decision to change her image, and appears on the last day of school at the carnival dressed in a black leather jacket and skin tight pants. This floors Danny and the two decide that they really do go together, as they fly off in Danny’s car.

The movie is at its base obviously a musical and most of the plot progresses through song. It is the combination of humorous looks at high school, the importance of image, and even the fear of being a high school dropout that keep the audience engaged. Many of these songs live on today even outside of the movie as they appear on the radio, or even in karaoke bars across the country.

The movie musical Grease was released in 1978 and quickly became one of the highest grossing films ever made. It is still making money today as anniversary editions of the movie are released. Grease was directed by Randal Kleiser and was based on a musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.

The movie Grease follows the antics that happen at Rydell High School. The movies stars John Travolta as Danny Zuko and Olivia Newton-John as Sandy Olsson. These are the two main roles in the movie. You will also see Stockard Channing playing Rizzo, Jeff Conaway playing Kenickie and Frankie Valli playing the Teen Angel. This film is chock full of well know actors and actresses.

The story is about how two high school students, Danny and Sandy, fall in love and try to remain loyal to their friends. Danny belongs to the T-birds and Sandy is in the Pink Ladies with her cousin Frenchie played by Didi Cohn. The T-birds make fun of Danny’s relationship with Sandy since she is so clean cut and respectable.

The film also chronicles the life of high school students, their problems at school and their problems with self esteem and being accepted. The principal of Rydell High played by Eve Arden is a tough cookie and tries to get everyone to just follow the rules.

The soundtrack of the movie Grease is phenomenal. It includes hits like, “Hopelessly Devoted to You”, “Greased Lightening” and “Summer Nights”. Frankie Valli is great in his role as the Teen Angel as he sings to Frenchie after she dyes her hair pink by accident in beauty school.

Grease is a great movie to watch over and over again.