Review of Grease 2 (1982) by Christopher R — 16 Apr 2018

Grease 2 is a romantic comedy musical that is severely overlooked. A sequel to the adaptation of the Broadway show Grease, it stars Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer, two powerhouse singers who have electric chemistry on-screen. Grease 2 has a deep emotional range, with upbeat songs about lust ("Prowlin'") and slow ballads about the hardships of being yourself ("Charades"). The movie is not without laughs, the song "Reproduction" always draws at least a chuckle from the most stoic of viewers.

The writing is also very comedic, with witty banter flying between the characters. One of my personal favorite scenes is toward the beginning, when the Pink Ladies (Stephanie, Rhonda, Paulette, and Sharon) are standing at their lockers, and the T-Birds (Johnnie, Goose, Louis, and Davey) have just left with the parting words "You may turn up on the Bandstand, but your beak will still be turning DOWN," in reference to Rhonda's nose. The following hilarious exchange occurs:

Rhonda: That's it. The nose goes. Bandstand, here I come.

Paulette: Rhonda, I wouldn't fool around with mother nature if I were you.

Sharon: You fooled around with everyone else, Paulette.

Paulette: Oh shut up.

There are also a lot of social issues addressed in Grease 2, such as pressuring a partner into sex, possessiveness over how a partner dresses and acts, and changing yourself to fit social expectations. There is a happy ending, with all couples agreeing to meet in the middle, and during the song "We'll Be Together" they each have a conversation about the above issues, and they are all resolved.

Many people dismiss Grease 2 as a bad sequel to a classic movie, but I bet most of them haven't given it a chance. It's a goofy movie, sure, and the plot isn't genius, but it's entertaining and the music is very catchy. If you liked Grease, then you are sure to like Grease 2.