Grease is one of those movies that everyone has seen once, or at least knows of. It’s a simple story. It’s the 1950s and greaser Danny (played by John Travolta) and the innocent Sandy (played by Olivia Newton-John) fall in love during the summer and try to keep their relationship afloat despite their different cliques. Directed by Randal Kleiser, Grease is a charming movie that still manages to entertain.

Again, it’s very simple, but it’s also a very sweet movie. It’s not overly complicated and doesn’t try to make itself too seriously. The characters are like-able and the viewer wants to see Danny and Sandy’s love prevail. The side characters are also well written, as the greasers and Pink Ladies succeed in their jobs as supporting characters while also having subplots of their own, especially the subplot for Kenickie (Jeff Conway) and Rizzo (Stockard Channing), the leaders of the greasers and Pink Ladies. It makes them so they feel like characters living their own lives within this story. I will say though that some of the dialogue is a little weird. It does tend to exaggerate that sort of 50s teen movie feeling, which does fit at certain times, but for others, it breaks the immersion.

The songs are nothing special. They’re catchy and fit the 50s aesthetic well. They don’t feel out of place, but after a while they do start to feel corny. The song, “Sandy” also has some corny visuals with the drive-in snack bar commercials play behind Danny. Some will say that that’s part of this film’s charm, but some might not like it. The dance scenes are well done, and look impressive.

The colors in Grease are absolutely beautiful! It really captures the 50s aesthetic of pastels and bright colors perfectly, and transports the viewer to that time. Even the animated opening has clever color usage and fits in with the movie without detracting from it. I also love how every time the daytime sky is shown, it’s bright blue. To me, it makes the movie even more nostalgic and adds to the overall feeling. The clothing the characters wear also have the same usage of pastel colors and it also helps bring about the time period.

As for the audience, I would say mid teens or older. Though I’ve known people who’ve seen it as young as ten (me included), there is a lot of language that some parents wouldn’t want their children hearing, especially in the song “Greased Lightnin'”. There are also many mature themes that parents might not want their children to see.

Though Grease won’t satisfy those looking for a dramatic movie, and is a little corny at times, it’s still a charming movie that people can enjoy if they want a fun viewing experience.

I give it 7 dancing hotdogs out of 10.