Grease - 9 stars out of 10

Grease - 9 stars out of 10

"Grease" is the All-American musical.  It is also "the word."  This celebration of high school life in the 50s faces a lot of issues, stereotypes, and peer pressures faced by teenagers head-on.  It is surprisingly relevant to students today and became a completely different experience watching it as an adult.  There are a lot of things that I never caught as a sheltered teen but now I see that the script simply does not hold anything back.  I think that it is very interesting that we never see a parent throughout the course of this movie.  It shifts the focus to these independent kids who feel the responsibility to deal with their problems on their own.  From a content standpoint, "Grease" aims to be raw and realistic instead of fun fiction (like "High School Musical").  Its dialogue is definitely that of a comedy but includes a lot of strong sexual language that keeps it fairly raw.  Even with its strong content, the film manages to stay lighthearted through its upbeat music.  The music is so well known outside of the film that something magical happens when each song occurs on the screen.  I got chills when I heard the introductory bass line and jazz piano to "You're the One That I Want," and if you know the opening line to that song you will understand the irony.  John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are perfect as Danny and Sandy through beautiful vocal ability and incredible chemistry.  The introductory scene that show's Danny's soft side is what makes it so touching as this rough rebel tries to become a good guy for her.  Newton-John is wonderful because her clean-cut AND ending character are both so charming.  I could go down the line about how great every character is (like Frenchy, Sonny, and Eugene) but the characters are so diverse that they are all just great.  Stockard Channing has great attitude as Rizzo and Dinah Manoff is probably my favorite female character as Marty.  The adults in the film are the icing on the cake, all played by big names like Sid Caesar, Eve Arden, and Frankie Avalon.  From the National Bandstand dance to being stranded at the drive-in, "Grease" is great for all ages.  Its content is subtle enough that it will go over most kids' heads while its realism drawing in teens and adults, all under the guise of catchy music, great dancing, comedy that gets better with age, and a fun atmosphere.