Grease 2 Movie Review (1982)
A fantastically campy musical sequel, Grease 2 is a cult classic that brings back the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies for another year at Rydell High, along with great songs, a talent show, and a lot of laughs.
When I was a child, my brother and I would stay overnight at our dad’s house every Saturday. We played with Barbies and He-Man figures and watched a lot of television. I also had a very special VHS tape that I insisted we watch every single weekend. It started with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and ended with Grease 2. I am the oldest, so for some reason he never fought me on it, but, looking back, I owe my brother approximately 1,200 hours of his viewing life back.
Grease 2 is about clean-cut Michael Carrington, a British student (and cousin to Sandy Olsson from Grease) who has just enrolled in classes at Rydell High. It is three years after the original movie, and the T-Birds are now being led by Johnny Nogerelli. Pink Lady lead Stephanie Zinone broke up with Johnny over the summer, and fellow Pink Lady Paulette Rebchuck has eyes for him. Michael is instantly taken with Stephanie, and Sandy’s friend Frenchie, who has come back to high school to learn chemistry (as you do?), tells him that the only way to date a Pink Lady is to become a T-Bird. Michael decides to try to make that happen and learns to ride a motorcycle, but keeps his identity hidden, so mesmerized Stephanie doesn’t know who he is.
This is a silly, tongue-in-cheek musical comedy that bombed at the box office, but has since developed a huge cult following. There is an ongoing debate about whether the original Grease or Grease 2 is better, and, without any doubt, I can tell you that I am firmly in the Grease 2 crowd.
Michael and Stephanie are the “straight men” in this film. The vast majority of the silliness happens around them, and they drive the main story so that nothing falls apart. But the T-Birds are played as sweet idiots trying to defend their territory, the Pink Ladies understand that it’s their job to be arm candy for the Birds, and Michael is able to hide his identity by wearing goggles, much like Clark Kent’s Superman.
The cast is a mix of classic film stars and actors who would become stars in the future. Teachers are played by Sid Caesar, Connie Stevens, Tab Hunter, and Eve Arden among others, and you’ve got Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher McDonald (Thelma and Louise), Adrian Zmed (T.J. Hooker), and Pamela Adlon (the voice of Bobby in King Of The Hill) in the gangs. There are also other cast members who aren’t as famous, but have a fun background, like Lorna Luft (Judy Garland’s daughter) and twins Liz and Jean Sagal (Katey Sagal’s sisters).
There are a few phenomenal songs like “Cool Rider” (the ultimate earworm), “Who’s That Guy?”, and “Score Tonight.” Every musical has a “Cheer Up Charlie” (the one song that Willy Wonka could do without), and in this movie, it’s “Charades.” No one needs to hear Michael sing a ballad about how he’s living two lives, we get it.
To the point of that song, though, that is one of the biggest ways Grease 2 differs from the original Grease. Grease is about becoming someone else to fit in with the person you like. Grease 2 also starts that way, but there are many moments, including a long conversation between Michael and Stephanie at a hamburger shop where she makes it clear that she both enjoys his company and respects his intelligence. And in the end (I apologize if I’m giving away the very obvious ending), she makes a comment that she is “getting two for the price of one” because she likes Michael for who he is, not only the motorcycle dream-guy part.
Grease 2 is a fun film with an entertaining cast, great music, and a predictable story, but it also has dancing nuns at a bowling alley, a motorcycle riding montage, and a talent show with costumes that must’ve taken the drama department’s budget for a decade. It is in on the joke, and even four decades later, there are still lyrics and double entendres that I am discovering have always been there. So, what do you think? Grease or Grease 2?
Runtime: 115 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: PG
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Available: Free on PlutoTV, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
