Rydell High's most famous graduating class is going back to school. A newly restored print brings the highest-grossing musical of all time, "Grease" (1978), to the big screen as a sing-along.
Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser
and based on Jim Jacobs' and Warren Casey's musical, of the same name
about two lovers in a 1959 high school. The film stars John Travolta,
Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway.
Although
referring to the early 1950s, it was successful both critically and at
the box office, consolidating Travolta's career at that time and
bringing Newton-John to a wider audience.
Its soundtrack album
became one of the best-selling in pop movie history, and provided
several chart hits for the original artists and others.
In the 1950s, during their summer vacation, Danny Zuko and Sandy
Olsson meet at the beach and begin to fall in love. When the summer
comes to an end, Sandy, who is returning to her native Australia frets
losing Danny. Danny tells her that their love is "Only the beginning."
This
is followed by opening animated credits which introduce the primary
cast followed by the first day at Rydell High. Danny, a greaser meets
his friends, the T-Birds--Kenickie, Doodie, Putzie, and Sonny while the
Pink Ladies, Rizzo, Marty and Jan, a similar, more feminine band than
the other boys arrive and claim that they're going to "rule the school"
in their final year come riding in. Sandy's family had unexpectedly
canceled their plans to return to Australia and also enters Rydell as a
foreign exchange student. While meeting with Rizzo and the others, Sandy
and Danny tell their friends about their "Summer Nights", sharing
different point of views to impress their respective parties. Rizzo is
surprised when Danny's name is mentioned.
After a tailgate party,
Rizzo and the others unexpectedly throw Sandy and Danny together. At
first ecstatic, Danny has to maintain his cool image in front of Sandy.
This abrupt change in behavior upsets Sandy who runs off. That night at a
slumber party at Frenchy's house, Sandy's innocent and devout nature
gets on Rizzo's nerves, after she leaves the room, Rizzo leads the girls
in the teasing Look at Me I'm Sandra Dee which makes things more
awkward when Sandy walks in on them. After viewing Marty's extensive
collection of pen-pals she borrows some papers and wanders outside,
lamenting over Danny in Hopelessly Devoted to You. Meanwhile, Rizzo
decides to impulsively sneak out with Kenickie; they go to an overlook
and proceed to have sex, even though Kenickie's condom broke.
The
following school day, Kenickie's car is pulled into the school's work
shop for a tuneup, and despite the fact that his wheels are a "hunk o'
junk" according to Danny, Danny manages to convince the boys that it
could become Greased Lightning and they start to work on the vehicle.
Meanwhile, his relationship with Sandy is rocky, as his cool image
prevents him from understanding her. Sandy begins courting another boy,
and Danny, determined to impress Sandy tries a variety of sports, each
ending in failure before coming to a natural ability for track and
field. He injures himself while Sandy is present causing her to dump Tom
and begin to date Danny again. His cool image seems to get in the way
of any intimate time alone as they constantly come in between their
friends and arguments. Frenchy, having dropped out of high school, has
now dropped out of beauty school when her class's difficulties culminate
in her having bubblegum pink hair. She is at odds with what to do until
her guardian angel (Frankie Avalon) comes to sing her way back into
high school ("Beauty School Dropout").
At the school dance, Sandy
and Danny's relationship becomes strained when a girl from a rival
school who Danny had once dated steals him away to win the spotlight
dance. Meanwhile, Sonny, Putzie and Doody take advantage of the song
Blue Moon and moon the national audience of the television show
recording the school's dance, while Marty falls for the host Vince
Fontaine, and sparks fly when Rizzo shows up with the T-Bird's greaser
rival, Leo.
