179. Grease; movie review

GREASE
Cert PG
105 mins
BBFC advice: Contains frequent mild sex references and mild language

"Why do you think Grease has enduring appeal," asked the mid-morning presenter on BBC Radio Nottingham which occasionally asks for my warblings about films.
I knew the question was coming so I had already asked 24-year-old Miss W what she thought about Randal Kleiser's musical.
"It's a classic because it's got great songs, " came the response.
Yes, even though Grease was released 16 years before she was born, Miss W is a fan.
Mrs W and I watched it again to mark 40 years since girls queued around the block to see John Travolta strut his stuff alongside a curiously older Olivia Newton-John.
Four decades on and it struck me that there is no mystery over why musicals still attract big audiences.
A great soundtrack, supplemented by spirited dance routines and vibrant acting will always work - just ask the makers of The Greatest Showman.
The truth is that Grease does not have the same smart construction as the likes of Oliver! or The Greatest Showman - but, despite flirting with teenage pregnancy and gang violence, it is similar in that it does not lean on profanities and smiling is more prevalent than scowling.
I remember being too cool, as a 15-year-old lad to admit an appreciation for Grease but I also recall its big hits being the soundtrack of the summer of 1978 when I had my own holiday romance.
I was not as cool as Danny Zuko and I couldn't dance like John Travolta but it reminds me of a time which was more innocent and less cruel than today.

Reasons to watch: It's a classic, innit?
Reasons to avoid: Its pencil-thin plot

Laughs: Three
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10

Director quote - Randal Kleiser: "Grease was the perfect storm when the right casting met an established Broadway hit. The new music that we added helped a lot, too."

The big question - Why didn't they choose a younger cast?

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