Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrease is the word (Grease (DVD))

Member Name: bilbob20

Product:	Grease (DVD)
Date:	13/05/08 (72 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Exhuberant cast and good songs

Disadvantages: too many viewings have rendered it an irksome experience

I hate this film. I really do. I cant quite remember how, or why, or when it happened. I remember liking it. I remember loving the soundtrack. I remember thinking Olivia Newton John was terrific (how gay am i?). Now, the relentless repeats, re-releases, and tributes have become universally tedious.

Sandy and Danny get together for a summer romance on the beach, which threatens to end when Sandy has to go back home to Australia. However, a change of plan means that they'll be re-united in the school year at Rydell High. Unbeknown to Sandy though, Danny is head of T-Birds; a gang of neanderthals who cruise around in leather jackets aided by the school's cool girls The Pink Ladies.

Pink Lady Frenchi assists Sandy in her bid to keep Danny's affections by encouraging her to behave like the rest of the Pink Ladies. However, its somewhat thwarted by sarcastic head lady Rizzo, who thinks that Sandy is "too pure to be pink".

The characters and the somewhat weak plot is carried along by an infectious soundtrack courteousy of the famous Gibb brothers. Many of the most famous songs are performed by the lead characters as they are thrust into the limelight for endless all singing all dancing numbers. You're The One That I Want has a but shaking back track with the entire cast doing backing vocals, as does Summer Nights. Both tracks are performed as duets by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John. Elsewhere Stockard Channing belts out a tremendous There Are Worse Things I Can Do, and Newton John lends her pure vocals to Hopelessly Devoted To You.

Half of the soundtrack is made up of contributions from other acts, with Frankie Valli belting out the title track Grease. Sha-na-na star in the film for the dance hall sequences and donate the excellently cheesey Those Magic Changes, and the hand clapping Born To Hand Jive. Its a terrific soundtrack that has grown legs over the years and seen an endless run in the sales charts.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton John turn in excellent performances, and surprisingly Travolta is a decent vocalist. However, Stockard Channing is a spark as Rizzo, chiming up sarcasm and witty remarks at every turn. The rest of the cast are enjoyable, even if their characters have little demand on them.

This creates an illusion that it came from the time it is actually set in (ie the late 50s). Its an authentic enough set, enhanced once again by the soundtrack, but strip away the exhuberant cast and those familiar songs, and we're left with nothing much in the way of story. Grease has set the apparent high standards for the musical, although I've seen better. Its a great way of spending a sunday afternoon with the kids though, and my slight irritation with it is most likely due to the fact that my mother watched it endlessly, then my sister watched it endlessly and now my niece has the good sense to not bother with it and watch High School Musical instead. Thank goodness for that.

Summary: A good enough film with a good soundtrack that has been dampened by mega-repeat viewings