Rating: 
Summary: 5 Star Movie Lowered (Slightly) By Disappointing DVD
Review: I won't go into the plot here, because, let's face it, if you haven't seen Grease by now, you probably won't ever see it. And you are missing out on a really fun film. That is the secret to this movie's popularity. It's just plain fun! It doesn't have a really great script, none of the performancies (with the exception of Stockard Channing) is anything above run-of-the-mill, but it's got a lot of great, catchy songs, a very likeable cast, and is just a treat to watch again and again. I was disappointed by this DVD release though, because it's exactly the same as the laser disc, only smaller and you don't have to turn it over. The cast interviews at the end are four years old, and this is really just a delayed release of the 20th Anniversary Edition on DVD. And what fan of Grease needs a cheap, paper booklet of song lyrics? Believe me, we know them all by heart. Truly the most profitable and one of the most popular musicals ever made deserves a better DVD package. The fans certainly deserve it too, having waited so long for this. Boo! to Paramount for, apparently, wanting to wait and pick our pockets again some time down the road when they release the two-disc set with all the extras this movie should have. At least it's in widescreen, which is a totally different viewing experience for anyone who hasn't seen it letterboxed or on the big screen yet. The musical numbers have a much larger scope, with dancers and other action on the sides that had previously been cut off. You will be surprised how many previously unseen guys are on the bleachers with Danny and the gang for "Summer Nights". And to anyone who is planning to buy the full-frame DVD--shame on you! You are truly missing out.
Rating: 
Summary: Grease Is The Word
Review: Grease has finally made its debut on the DVD format. The movie is a long time favorite thanks to countless airings on television that constantly brought in new fans of the movie who weren't even born when the movie was released in 1978. Adapting the immensely popular Broadway show to the big screen brought forth some changes. The theater production had a raunchier edge to it with much more overt sexual nature. The film tones that side quite a bit, but it makes up for it in sheer exuberance. John Travolta was the hottest star in Hollywood at the time with the success of Saturday Night Fever on the big screen and Welcome Back Kotter on television. He is perfectly cast as Danny Zuko, the likable greaser and leader of the T-Birds who falls for the wholesome Sandy Olsen played by Olivia Newton-John in her big screen debut. Ms. Newton-John can clearly handle the singing side of the role, but her acting and dancing are suspect at best. Jeff Conaway adds the right amount of toughness as Kenicke and Stockard Channing is excellent as Rizzo, the tough as nails head of the Pink Ladies (Ms. Channing's singing is better than Ms. Newton-John's acting, but not by much and seems oddly out of place as a teenager). The films is full of actors and singers who were popular in the 50's like Frankie Avalon, Sid Caesar, Edd Byrnes and Eve Arden. Grease is extremely entertaining and pure fun to watch and is really the last success old fashioned movie musical Hollywood produced.
Rating:
Summary: Reviewing the EXTRA'S ON THE DISC....
Review: You all love the movie, so I'm not gonna review that. I am gonna give my review of the EXTRA'S... The extras are pretty slim, surprising given the demand for Grease on DVD... but NOT surprising if you know anything about the legal history of this film. What we do get includes a collection of interviews with many of the key cast members, director Randall Kleiser and producer Allan Carr. These interviews are basically bland ("It was so great to be a part of this film!"), but it's nice to see all the participants looking surprisingly good after all these years. Fans of the film will love the interview piece, but having seen a VH1: Behind the Music episode a few years ago on the making of the film, what you get here is not that comprehensive. Actually, it's rather odd that they couldn't include that episode, given that VH1 is a corporate partner (and another episode of the show is being included with the Saturday Night Fever DVD). Rounding out the extras is a non-anamorphic trailer for the film. BTW...If ANYONE buys the FULLSCREEN instead of the WIDESCREEN, you need your head checked. If you are one of the few who dont understand the difference between the 2, watch both versions of GREASE and then tell me which looks better...
Rating:
Summary: Hopelessly Devoted to this movie!
Review: Grease was the first film that I saw more than once in the theatre (6 times to be exact) in 1978. It was the largest running musical in theatre history and the film was closely based on the 1972 musical play. The film featured a '50s theme, cashing in on the nostalgia craze that was going on at that time, containing the fashions, the music and the fads of that era plus [desire] overtones expressed by the teenagers. The story revolves around the seniors of Rydell High School and tells of their boy-girl problems, their lack of interest in School, the importance of having a fast car, the loud chaos of dances, pep rallies and the end of the year carnival. This film really gave me a false perception of what high school should be. It shows high school to be fun and games and glamorous. I was disappointed when I began attending high school and realized that it was not was it was like in the movies. :) Produced by Robert Stigwood (of Saturday Night Fever, Tommy and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band fame) the film featured humorous songs ('Beauty School Dropout'), '50s era inspired music ('Born to Hand Jive'), and songs that were also popular during that era ('Hound Dog' and 'Blue Moon'). Some songs had also been featured in the Broadway musical ('Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee' and 'Summer Nights') and some were written specifically for his movie ('Grease' and 'Hopelessly Devoted to You')... There are two highpoints in the film. The first once occurs at midpoint in the movie, when Rydell High is featured on National Bandstand and the whole school is dancing to 'Rock and Roll is Here to Stay' and 'Born to Hand Jive.' The other is when the end of the school year carnival occurs where everybody sings and dances to 'We Go Together.' These two scenes feature large production numbers involving the entire cast and solo dancing featuring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John... While watching Grease, I found the film to be lively and uplifting that helped people relive the '50s all over again and those who never lived in the '50s wished they had. Photography, editing and the ages of the cast was completely overlooked once I became engrossed in the plot and the music. The film was a hit not because the film company said it was good. It was a hit because it appealed to the public, adults and teens and it was a timeless film that will be enjoyed by the public for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: A 1970`s Classic.
Review: When two teenagers by the name of Danny (John Travolta) & Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) fall in love, while they meet eachother on the Beach in the Summertime in the late 1950`s. Since Sandy is from a different country, Danny thinks that his girlfriend would return to Australia. But when School Starts... Danny is a gang member of the T-Birds. which is run by his best friend (Jeff Conaway). When the gang of the Opposite Sex called the Pink Ladies, which is run by Rizzo (Stockard Channing). The Pink Ladies mmet Sandy and they put her with Danny together. Since Sandy doesn`t seems cool enough to be a member with the Pink Ladies. Sandy wants to be with Danny or That Danny seems that he couldn`t date Sandy. Because Danny is Committed to his gang. Directed by Randal Kleiser (The Blue Lagoon, Flight of the Navigator, It`s my Party) made a entertaining Comedy-Musical set in High-School in the life of Teengers of the 1950`s. This film is based on a Popular Broadway Show by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey. The film`s fun performances by the Cast, The Songs, Style & Especially the Choreography by Patricia Birch highlights this Energetic, Imaginative Filming (Cinematography is done by Bill Bulter-Anaconda, Frailty, Jaws). This was One of the Largest Box Office Hits of 1978 and It`s still One of the Best Selling Soundtracks, so far. This film was even re-release in 1998 to respectable Box Office. DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer & an digitally remastered-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD Extras are:Grease Songbook, Retrospective Interviews with the Cast & Crew and the Original Theatrical Trailer. This film seems never to be aged, because of Kleiser`s sure hand direction. Which is extremely well done, Better Seen in Widescreen. Panavision. Grade:A-.
Rating:
Summary: Just about the Best Movie I own....
Review: My DVD collection is small but very select. Grease was one movie I knew I needed to own. This anniversary edition DVD is great because of the cast interviews AND there is even a little song book included so you can sing along to some of the best music that will bring back the feeling of the 50s and early 60s. It is a little hard to believe that it's been more than 20 years since it first came out until you look at the actors! Travolta and Newton-John look SO YOUNG! But this movie still gets to me every time I watch it. There are great songs (Greased Lightnin', Summer Nights, You're the One that I Want) and memorable performances (Stockard Channing as Rizzo is a classic!). The story brings back a time when teens were "boys and girls", not very sophisticated in the ways of the big bad world. It evokes a little bit of the feel of my teen years and those are the clothes (poodle skirts, petticoats, bobby socks and saddle shoes) that I remember. Sure, sexuality simmered just under the surface, but there were more 'Sandra Dees' than there were 'Cha Chas' and the Rebels didn't run the schools and dictate the tastelessness that seems to rule today. Underwear was worn under outerwear and the most anyone saw was a droopy bra strap. The story is sweet, simple and classical. Boy meets Girl, they fall in love, there is a bumpy patch and then Everyone lives happily ever after. In "Grease" getting to The End is lots of fun! There are songs for every occasion and some of the most energetic and exciting dance sequences in a contemporary movie. John Travolta is wonderful as Danny Zucko and Olivia Newton-John makes a perfect Sandy. I always have a great time when I see this movie. I bet you will, too.
Rating:
Summary: AFI's Great Love Stories: #97 Grease
Review: I have seen "Grease" performed on stage (a dinner theater still counts as a stage, people), so I have a great appreciation for how it was turned into a big screen musical. Actually, "Grease" was the movie that proved the musical was not dead, although it did not really inspire the rebirth of the musical (One word: "Xanadu"). Sweet All-Australian girl Sandy Olsen (Olivia Newton-John) had a summer romance with greaser Danny Zucko (John Travolta), and now at Rydell High he is too caught up with his cool dude image to admit he really, really likes her. Travolta puts his charm into overdrive while Newton-John looks so darn cute and perky you might not be able to stand it, but Stockard Channing as Rizzo steals this movie in my book ("There Are Worst Things I Could Do"). For the most part the choreography by Patricia Burch (who would get the opportunity to direct "Grease II") is better than the songs and the songs are not half-bad. However, my favorite will always be "Beauty School Dropout" sung by Teen Angel Frankie Avalon, which might be as funny a tongue-in-cheeck song as you will ever find in a Hollywood musical. One of the other things I like about "Grease" is that it retains its hard edge; there are a couple of cruel lines in here that you are not going to want to explain to younger kids (you will have enough trouble explaining how Sandra Dee is to them). However, they do serve to anchor the movie a bit. Not a deep musical and not particularly romantic per se, just one where a good time is had by all. Most romantic line(s): (1) "Oh Danny, is this the end?" "No Sandy. It's only the beginning." (2) "Tell me about it...stud." Two Tear-Jerking Scenes: Um, there are several scenes with some jerks, does that count? If you like "Grease," then check out these other films on AFI's list: #12 "My Fair Lady." Why? Because they are both based on Pygmalion and the transformation of a female from social outcast to paragon of social grace. Oh, and they both have singing.
Rating:
Summary: Grease is the word
Review: A film by Randal Kleiser Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton John) have a summertime romance in the late 50's, but it ends when the summer does and Sandy has to go back to Australia. It is time for a new school year at Rydell High, and Danny is a Senior. He is a member of the T-Birds gang (which feels like a more innocent version of what we'd think of as a gang), the leader of the group. Sandy had told Danny that she had to go back to Australia, but she ends up starting school at Rydell also, unaware that Danny is there. Danny is the cool greaser, popular with the ladies and with a reputation to uphold. Sandy is the sweetest girl next door that you are ever likely to find. When they meet up again, they are excited to see each other, but it doesn't work because Danny is hiding behind his reputation and behaves accordingly. As a musical, this film is absolutely wonderful. It harkens back to a more innocent time, and while this film is a bit more sexual than you might expect from a PG rated movie, it is very sweet and charming. Most of the songs are great, fit the scene and do not have that stereotypical "it's time to burst into song" feel. The songs feel like a more natural extension of the character and scene and sometimes even feel like what they might actually say at that point. Stockard Channing steals all of her scenes as Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies. Her two big songs "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" and "There are Worse Things I Could Do" are highlights of the movie, along with the classic "Summer Nights" (Travolta and Newton John), "Beauty School Dropout" (Frankie Avalon), and "You're the One that I Want" (Travolta, Newton John). The one complaint that I do have is that I much prefer Sandy as the girl-next-door over her new look at the end of the film. All the characters act like it is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but all that it is showing me is that Sandy has to change who she is in order to get a guy to like her. Or, maybe I am thinking too much about this. The bottom line is that this movie is a blast and it is my favorite musical. "Grease" is one of my favorite movies and is a modern classic, even if it is a little campy. I don't know how well it will age over the next twenty years, but for now: Grease is the word. -Joe Sherry
Rating:
Summary: A 70's Loving Look at the 50's
Review: I've never been a big musical fan but who could resist a movie like GREASE?
It's rare when a movie can take a look at a time in America and manage to capture all the fun that period had to offer. Being based on a well-established musical play helped, I'm sure, but I also think all the other elements--especially that dynamite cast--really helped. I was a teenager in the 70's when it came out and, looking back at it now, I appreciate the filmmakers' respectful approach to the period and characters while gently poking fun at the 50's. I doubt such a film could be made now: the characters would be caricatures and Hollywood would want to "right any wrongs" of the era, I'm sure.
(Check out the review by the person "offended" by the roles of girls in the movie/1950s. I'll bet every teenage girl in the 50's had more fun being a girl than that person in the 00's ranting about it. Yikes, calm down.) I loved the extras. The recent interviews with the cast and the footage from the Hollywood premiere.
Mom and Dad had their youth in the 50's and we got to watch it on the movie screens of 1978.
Now the grandkids get to watch it on their portable DVD players.
GREASE is still the word.
Rating:
Summary: Problems with this musical film
Review: I admit, I love this film. I love the music and the humor, the characters and the costumes. But my love for the film does not mean that I don't recognize the insulting content in it. Sandy, the blond-haired, blue-eyed girl is the symbol of purity and virginity when she arrives at Rydell High. The school is a stereotypical representation of a white, suburban high school. The representation of groups like the Pink Ladies and T-Birds glorify the popular/unpopular dichotomy that exists in high schools. In the sleepover scene with Sandy and the Pink Ladies, the girls are sifting through beauty magazines and performing other activities like painting their nails and curling their hair. The characters are acting out what society dictates as normal behavior for girls, and they perform these activities because they have internalized the male gaze.
In the racing scene at the end of the film, the director uses a shot-reverse-shot technique in which Sandy is seen apart from the group gazing at the happy crowd and appearing lonely. The camera focuses on Danny, and then focuses right back to Sandy. It is after this that Sandy asks Frenchie to help her transform her physical appearance. This shot-reverse-shot technique illustrates that Sandy surveys her own body through Danny's eyes. In the final scene, where Danny strips off his preppy sweater and the camera frames Sandy's body through the male gaze, beginning at her feet and slowly moving up her body in a very seductive manner completely objectifies Sandy. The message is that Sandy must conform to Danny's notion of beauty in order to be loved and accepted by him, and he can take off the preppy sweater because he does not have to change. Danny's notion of beauty is that Sandy looks something like a leather-bond Barbie doll.
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