Saturday, August 09, 2008

Grease 2

(1982) **

One of us has been known to champion Grease 2 as superior to Grease. Well, Grease 2 isn't a bomb (dang), but it isn't a good movie, and it really isn't as good as the original (sorry JPX). Grease 2 follows Michael (Maxwell Caulfield), a straight arrow British transplant to Rydell High School, who falls for Pink Lady Stephanie (Michelle Pfeiffer). Stephanie (who shows she's tough by flipping her collar up and chewing gum incessantly) only dates T-Birds, so Michael seems to be SOL. Or is he? Hmph. The two leads are adorable, some of the tunes are a little bit catchy (though the lyrics are dismal); however, the plot is slight and predictable and some of the songs are really rank. Even though Grease was silly, it had a lot more substance and heart and the music was waaaay better. Grease 2 also exudes pathos due to casting: apparently anyone from the first movie who didn't have something better going on returned, even "Crater Face" who was roughly 35 at time of filming. Oy. All the same, odds are good this'll be the best movie I'll watch all weekend, so that should count for something. Faint praise, but it's all I got.

7 comments:

JPX said...

When we were young my sister was obsessed with Grease. I got so sick of her playing that damn soundtrack that when Grease 2 came out I insisted that it was the superior movie just to piss her off. However, after a while I think I started to believe my own lie. Truth be known I haven't seen thi film since it first came out and was on HBO 7000 times in one month.

I still like the song from the original that goes, "Grease is the word, is the word, is the word..."

AC said...

good backstory jpx! i feel better now... didn't want to ruin our friendship over grease 2. don't you more or less hate musicals as a genre? i still love the song "grease" from the original soundtrack too. it was written by barry gibb of the bee gees.

Landshark said...

Plus, Grease 2 is one of those movies that proves that screen charisma actually means something. You can't watch a young Michelle Pfieffer in that movie and not realize she was going to be a star.

I was going to play along on the "so-bad-it's-good-athon" AC, but I got sidetracked by damn house projects just as I was 36 minutes into "Time Rider: The Adventures of Lynn Swann." Think "CHIPS meets Back to the Future." (1983ish)

I'll try to finish it now and post a review....

DKC said...

I hate to admit that I have seen Grease 2 many times. I do not think it is better than the original, but I still think it's cheesy fun.

Octopunk said...

"I wanna coo-oo-oo-ool rider, a coo-oo-oo-ool rider! If he's cool enough, he'll burn me through and through-hoo."

I poo-poo the show 24 because I saw an episode that stole a plot element from Grease 2. Jack Bauer's daughter is holed up with survivalist Kevin Dillon, who lies to her about the bomb going off (or the virus escaping, or whatever it is) so she'll stay with him in his bunker because the world ended. Pretty much exactly what's going on in the scene featuring the song "Let's Do It For Our Country."

AC said...

ack, landshark, house projects sound like a soothing reprieve in comparison to watching "time rider". never even heard of it but it doesn't sound good. can't wait to see your review.

fair enough dcd! as i said it was not a bomb. maybe it will grow on me?

lol octopunk. the lyrics alone made it impossible for me to give grease 2 more than two stars (not that i was tempted).

SpectroPluto said...

GREAT movie and I love the pic above. Did you create that? I'd totally buy that as a poster. LOL
sad but true!

Malevolent

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