In 1971, the musicalGreasewritten byJim JacobsandWarren Caseytook Broadway by storm. Nostalgia for the 50s was just taking off andGreasecertainly capitalized on that. The story is about the senior year of 1959 at Rydell High. A new transfer student from Australia and a stereotypical good girl, Sandy, has fallen in love with the head of the tough street gang the T-Birds, Danny. How in the world could they ever make it work? A movie followed in 1978 and became one of the biggest movie musicals of all time. With the star power ofJohn Travoltaas Danny andOlivia Newton-Johnas Sandy,it was no big surprise.
The success spawned a sequel in 1982 and now with the 40-year anniversary approaching, it’s time we celebrateGrease 2.Grease 2wasn’t exactly the hit thatGreasewas (okay, it was a colossal failure at the box office), but there was no way it would ever live up to the popularity thatGreasehad.Greaseis an iconic musical that has rightfully earned its place in musical theater history. However… is it a better film? The answer is no. That’s right,Grease 2is better. Here is why this is the hill I choose to die upon.
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The cast ofGrease 2may have some big names in hindsight, but at the time, they were relatively unknown. The biggest names at the time were 60s heartthrobs,Tab HunterandConnie Stevensas well as a few appearances from the 1978 film (even thoughDidi Connmysteriously disappears about halfway through.) This certainly didn’t help the box office numbers, although, it was the first major role for a lot of actors' careers. Some of their careers grew into stardom such asMichelle PfeifferandPamela Adlon(Billed as Pamela Segall) and some did not. Regardless, it’s incredibly entertaining to watch new, raw talent before fame infiltrated their careers.
It’s no real surprise that Pfeiffer shines above everyone with what we know now. But there is a slew of performances that are impressive besides hers.Lorna Luft(Judy Garland’s other daughter) as Paulette who may appear to be a blonde bombshell, but one who would stand for no man’s crap was a revelation in 1982. And let’s not overlook twinsLizandJean Sagal(the kid sisters ofKatey Sagal) who went on to be the infamous Doublemint Twins as well as star in their own sitcom,Double Trouble. A memorable group of actors who even though still way too old to be believable as high schoolers, still passed off as friends.
Greasedid have the benefit of having the hit Broadway musical as its source material, so there was a fan contingent that was going to show up no matter what. There were no hits inGrease 2that topped the Billboard charts, but there are some excellent songs. ComposerLouis St. Louiswrote all the original music. Give the soundtrack another listen on your favorite streaming service.
“Reproduction” is a straight-up banger. Led by Tab Hunter as the substitute teacher, it is a clever (if not quite obvious) song filled with double entendre about the reproduction process of flowers and animals and yet somehow exploring the concept of consent. And the big group number “Score Tonight” (another filled with euphemisms) is fun with a contagious hook. I would also challenge you to attempt to get “Girl For All Seasons” out of your head once you watch the movie. Trust me, it will never leave. And when we get down to the ‘I want’ songs, “Hopelessly Devoted to You” doesn’t even hold a candle to “Cool Rider.” Pfeiffer should be praised for her ladder work alone, but talk about a lady anthem for the ages. If you don’t sing along and do her choreography at the end as she spells out the title of the song, what are you even doing?
The T-Birds and the Pink Ladies
The T-Birds in the first film are seriously intense. The Birds inGrease 2are hilariously uncool. They have the jackets, they have the girlfriends, but they are NOT cool. And it works! Sure they’re a little too casual about murder when they think they may have accidentally caused the mysterious motorcycle man’s death, but it all works out. Isn’t that all that matters? They even utilize the tutoring (okay cheating) services of Michael (Maxwell Caulfield) and Johnny is kind enough to offer some motorcycle advice. The T-Birds don’t take themselves seriously which makes them way more fun.
Conversely, the Pink Ladies seemed to be exactly what Rizzo (Stockard Channing) envisioned in the first film. Stephanie seems less than interested in adhering to feminine norms as she repeatedly wants to wear pants, clearly a big social no-no for 1961. The defining moment inGreaseis when Sandy shows up in pants at the very end of the film. A move Stephanie does in the first ten minutes. She also has no interest in continuing her relationship with Johnny (Adrian Zmed) just because they’re “supposed to be together.” She wants something different. (She wants a rider that’s cool!) And when Johnny moves on to Paulette, Paulette is going to make him work for it and make her a priority and not just a piece of arm candy. This is the future of the women’s empowerment that would be coming soon.
The Message
Nobody changes who they are to be with someone. Stephanie fantasizes about a cool rider, sure, and when Michael hears this he decides to learn how to ride a motorcycle. Does he change who he is or does he just broaden his horizons? Because when Stephanie and the rest of the school find out Michael is the mystery guy, she is overjoyed since she had already kind of fallen for Michael. So, now she has everything all in one. She didn’t change, and he gained a new skill set in addition to his mediocre piano playing skills and writing prowess. The T-Birds already like him. Although they are (inexplicably) stunned it’s him, they are thrilled for a new friend to add to their group. And Stephanie and Michael are a true power couple who don’t float off into the clouds at the end. They did that in the middle of the movie, as it should be! Overall, it sends much better messages including being yourself, taking control of your own life, and subverting gender roles through women’s empowerment which was pretty ahead of its time in 1982.
Greasewill go down in history as one of the most popular movie musicals of all time. But try this one again with fresh eyes. Leave your expectations and preconceived notions behind and champion it for what it was trying to do. Is it perfect? No, far from it. But it was criticized way too harshly for simply not being an exact replica of its source material. It is its own thing and that should be celebrated. It never takes itself too seriously, and it knows exactly what it is unapologetically. So now that some time and distance have passed, giveGrease 2another shot.
