Classic Film Review #34: Grease

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Randal Kleiser and Allan Carr’s iconic adaptation of Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey’s stage musical remains as effervescent today as it was in 1978, when it was the cause of queues leading up to the multiplex. And while the gender politics (or lack thereof) of Bronte Woodard’s screenplay remain a topic worthy of debate, the mass appeal of Grease cannot be denied.

Whether it be John Travolta’s career-defining lead performance, Stockard Channing’s underrated performance as the streetwise Rizzo, or just the unapologetically cheesy (but no less toe-tapping) hits, this remains one of the defining films of the 1970s and a benchmark for mainstream musicals.  

The film’s crescendo, in which the previously bookish Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) abandons her identity to win the affections of greaser Danny (Travolta), is most certainly dated, and does somewhat dim Grease’s otherwise irrepressible shine. Alas, it is perhaps best viewed as a reflection of the attitudes that were prevalent at the time of the film’s release, rather than anything more serious than that.