Grease (1978)

Directed by Randal Kleiser. Starring John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Didi Conn, Michael Tucci, Barry Pearl, Jamie Donnelly, Kelly Ward, Dinah Manoff, Eve Arden, Sid Caesar, Susan Buckner, Dody Goodman, Edd Byrnes. [PG]

Squeaky clean Newton-John and greaser “bad boy” Travolta are from two different worlds, but that doesn’t stop them from falling in love over “summer nights”; when they get back to the real world—at least, the garishly heightened real world of late-50s high school—will they be able to overcome their differences and peer pressure and find happiness together? Brassy film version of the hit musical has its moments, but this is the sort of thin story that could be told in a 22-minute sitcom, leaving a lot of room for padding in between the musical numbers; as for those numbers, a few are catchy show-stoppers, but they’re definitely not all winners, especially new tune “Hopelessly Devoted to You” (the one that was nominated for an Academy Award!). The direction is unimaginative, the choreography patchy, and the camera lacks fluidity in trying to capture all the vigorous dance action; for such a “splashy entertainment,” it’s actually kinda ugly and regularly misuses the space. An abundance of dirty-minded suggestions feels like an incongruous affectation to appeal to the young adults and teens in the audience, but at least the snottiness has spirit. The resolution might be considered an insulting “lesson,” but if the movie thinks it can pass off Channing as a high school senior, the intelligence of the audience must not have been high on the list of the filmmakers’ concerns. Travolta’s charisma and dance moves dominate interest and keeps the movie watchable enough, but not to the point where this pic is worth watching without a finger on the fast-forward button.

48/100