GREASE 1978 - GREASE IS THE WORD

THE 1978 flick Grease has become such a cultural touchstone over the past 45 years that reviewing it in 2023 seems a little redundant.

- SIMON MAJOR

That said, modern-day critics haven't been too kind to the film in recent years, with many declaring it all kinds of inappropriate based on current mores and attitudes that didn't exist when it hit the big screens back in '78. Because of this, I fear there's a whole generation of younger movie fans who might miss out on the simple pleasures of this box-office smash, so let's try to redress the balance.

The film's premise is simple - two high school kids from completely different walks of life fall in love during summer break and fear they'll never meet again, only to later find themselves reunited and having to navigate the trials and tribulations of 1950s high school life.

Danny (John Travolta) leads the local cool gang of misfits, the T-Birds, with his best mate Kenickie (Jeff Conaway), while new girl Sandy (the late, great Olivia Newton-John) clings to the skirt strings of Frenchie (Didi Conn), who rolls with the Pink Ladies, headed by the abrasive Rizzo (Stockard Channing).