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Grease (1978)

tomatometer

82

Average Rating: 6.7/10
Reviews Counted: 55
Fresh: 45 | Rotten: 10

Grease is a pleasing, energetic musical with infectiously catchy songs and an ode to young love that never gets old.

82

Average Rating: 5.9/10
Critic Reviews: 11
Fresh: 9 | Rotten: 2

Grease is a pleasing, energetic musical with infectiously catchy songs and an ode to young love that never gets old.

audience

85

liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 1,078,571

My Rating

Movie Info

"Grease," said the poster and the Barry Gibb song, "is the word." Transferring its setting from Chicago to sunny California, and adding a dash of disco to the ersatz '50s score, producer Allan Carr and director Randal Kleiser turned this long-running Jim Jacobs-Warren Casey Broadway smash into the biggest blockbuster of 1978. 1950s teens Danny (John Travolta) and Australian transfer Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) spend their "Summer Nights" falling in love, but once fall comes, it's back to Rydell

PG, 1 hr. 50 min.

Romance, Musical & Performing Arts, Comedy

Sep 24, 2002

Paramount Pictures

Cast

All Critics (56) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (55) | Rotten (10) | DVD (40)

Travolta is a riot. Alternately swaggering to prove his "coolness" and re-affirming his ability on the dance floor, the actor gives the kind of performance that's perfect for the role.

April 30, 2009 Full Review Source: ReelViews | Comment
ReelViews
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Grease holds up for new generations because it captures the enthusiasm of youth and the vibrancy of California's sunshine-and-cars culture.

December 30, 2008 Full Review Source: Denver Post | Comment
Denver Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Grease has got it, from the outstanding animated titles of John Wilson all the way through the rousing finale as John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John ride off into teenage happiness.

July 18, 2007 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Limp, cheaply made.

July 18, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comments (20)
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

An unembarrassed movie musical, something my generation experienced only in Sunday-afternoon movies on TV.

December 30, 2006 Comment
San Jose Mercury News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Its sensibility is not tied to the past but to a free-wheeling, well informed, high-spirited present.

May 9, 2005 Full Review Source: New York Times | Comment
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A dumb but lively rock musical.

December 27, 2010 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | Comment
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

I love the film's energy. I love the movie-star charisma of John Travolta in the lead. I love the "am I doing this right?" hesitancy of much of Olivia Newton-John's performance. I love the fact that the film is so unapologetically filthy.

June 28, 2010 Full Review Source: HitFix | Comment
HitFix

A film that's immortal for its unbridled enthusiasm and top notch production that makes it arguably the best musical ever made...

June 21, 2010 Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | Comment
Cinema Crazed

One of the most commercially successful transfers of a Broadway musical to the big screen, Grease is not a great movie but it's a lot of fun to watch and listen due to superlative cast.

September 25, 2009 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | Comment

Problematic but ultimately irresistible adaptation of Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey's hit Broadway musical. [Blu-ray]

May 25, 2009 Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | Comment

As Blu-Ray still remains largely the province of gamers and fanboys, I don't really see the point of even releasing Grease on the format at all.

May 6, 2009 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | Comment
Slant Magazine

...there's no denying the charisma of the stars and the infectious nature of the song-and-dance numbers. (Blu-ray Edition)

May 2, 2009 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

...comes to life when Travolta and company are singing and dancing.

May 2, 2009 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

Overall, the Grease (Rockin' Rydell Edition) is absolutely worth buying even if you have the previous edition, as much for its newly-remastered transfer as the bounty of bonus materials.

December 23, 2008 Full Review Source: IGN Movies | Comment
IGN Movies

Randal Kleiser's 1978 musical, set in the Fifties, has some horrible acting but the kind of exuberance that has made it a cult classic.

September 26, 2008 Full Review Source: This is London | Comment
This is London

There's a surprising strain of filth, too - this is much closer to Hairspray than High School Musical. The message is: burn rubber, have sex, strut about like a chicken. It's one that's hard to resist.

September 26, 2008 Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | Comment
Guardian [UK]

Much-loved but somewhat overrated.

September 26, 2008 Full Review Source: Times [UK] | Comments (3)
Times [UK]

Travolta and Newton-John burn up the screen with all the passion of a potato salad while occasionally singing a song you know all the words to because they play it every week in small-town nightclubs.

March 3, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4 | Comments (7)

Good, clean, high-spirited fun.

July 18, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | Comment
TV Guide's Movie Guide

... a bowdlerized version of the original stage play

January 23, 2007 Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | Comment
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Grease

The greatest musical of all-time! My Mom loves to sing the songs when we watch this too! Lol! :) I love it! :) Just a great movie! :) Just wonderful! You'll want to watch it over and over again!!! :) I love it!!!! :) An absolute classic :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

February 6, 2008
movieguru12
Cassie Hill

Super Reviewer

I am more of an action type of guy, but this film get a good deal of respect from me for it's originality, and the tunes are still recognised, which must mean that 33 years later, it's still remembered.

October 29, 2011
scottgreen96
Scott Green

Super Reviewer

    1. Vince Fontaine: It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's what you do with your dancin' shoes.
    – Submitted by rob g (10 months ago)
    1. Danny Zuko: You can't just walk out of a drive-in.
    – Submitted by rob g (10 months ago)

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