Grease (4 Stars)

Netflix Thursday #10

Today I watched "Grease" for the first time ever. It's true, I've never watched it before, and only the news of Olivia Newton-John's death has inspired me to watch it.

It's a colourful film with a lot of catchy songs, but the "greatest musical of all time"? Not even close. There are three musicals in my top 100 films list: "Tommy", "The Wall" and "Evita". All three are much better films, in different ways.

I enjoy the singing. That's why I've given it a high rating. The problems are with the story and the casting, which is why I couldn't give it a higher rating.

The film takes place in 1958. It begins with Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) having a summer romance. She's an Australian on holiday with her parents in America. Where exactly in America are they? The original musical was set in Chicago, but that's obviously not where the film takes place. The location is deliberately kept vague, but it looks a lot like California.

Sandy's parents change their mind and stay in America. When Sandy enrols in Rydell High School she sees Danny again, but he acts differently. He's with his clique, the Thunderbolts, and he's a cool guy, so he can't admit to them that he's fallen in love. As the school year progresses they find their way back to one another.

Now for the problems with the infeasible story. Why would a family turn a holiday into a permanent stay? It's not impossible, but it's rare enough to merit an explanation. We never see Sandy's parents, which also seems unrealistic. When a teenage girl has a boyfriend the parents (especially the father) are always hovering in the background. Sandy's image transformation in the final scene from an innocent girl in a long dress to an aggressive young woman in tight leather isn't explained. Maybe she's doing it to make Danny like her more. There are lots of possibilities, but the film doesn't tell us anything.

As for the casting, it must be the film with the oldest high school students ever. The school clique that accepts Sandy, the Pink Ladies, is made up of actresses who are 22, 27, 31 and 34. No attempt is made to make them look younger. They look like parents, not schoolgirls. Danny's ex-girlfriend Cha Cha is played by an actress who's only 30, but she looks at least 40. The film's casting wasn't taken seriously, and it shows.

The film's best scene (and songs) is the final scene at the fairground. I doubt I'll watch "Grease" again, but I might watch the last 10 minutes for light entertainment.

Success Rate:  + 59.0

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