Movie Review: Grease (1978)
One movie that I never seem to tire of watching is that now American classic ‘Grease’, I can’t believe it’s over 30 years old, its seems as fresh to me now as the first time that I saw it and probably the only musical that I know by heart every line to every song. Released in 1978, it was the highest grossing movie that year and is now the highest grossing musical ever. Thirty years on, it’s still as popular as ever with its core faithful fans and a whole new generation of fans that discover this movie every year.
The incredibly fast paced and high spirited 1950’s teen romance musical has stood the test of time; John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (together they have a fantastic chemistry) are the summer time sweethearts who hit a rough patch when they are reunited at High School in the fall. It’s hard to imagine that this movie was Newton-John’s first big movie, she’s shines so bright as the naïve Sandy and Travolta, as Danny, gives one of the best performances that I’ve ever seen from him. I also loved him in Hairspray.
I recently found out that Stockard Channing was actually 34 years old and Olivia Newton –John 29 years old when they made this movie and they were supposed to be playing High School teenagers! Both looked young enough then to be in High School and still look great today.
On watching this movie again recently as a mother of three, I saw it in a whole new light. I remembered it fondly as a feel good, simple, family movie but actually it is quite a raunchy movie in many aspects with lots of sexual innuendo that I had forgotten about. I might just leave it a few more years until I let my kids watch it! My pick for best song from this movie would be ‘Hopelessly devoted to you’, Newton-John’s vocals are sublime and it’s a very moving heart felt song.
Eat your heart out High School Musical; you’ve got nothing on this movie!
Written by Julia
