Most critics respond warmly to Grease, with praise centred on its memorable songs, energetic dance routines and cheerful embrace of kitsch. John Travolta’s screen presence and dancing are recurring strengths, while Stockard Channing’s performance earns particular affection. The favourable reviews tend to find enough exuberance in the musical numbers to forgive the thin story, broad acting and conspicuously mature high-school pupils. Several also credit the staging with keeping the entertainment moving briskly.
The spread is wide, however, and the disagreement goes beyond how much the songs compensate for the shortcomings. Detractors find the nostalgia calculated, the sexual politics dated and the portrait of teenage life simplistic. The Guardian disputes even the dancing and direction that admirers celebrate, while Sight and Sound finds the knowing treatment of the 1950s condescending. Between those positions, reservations cluster around a dragging second half, unresolved subplots and musical numbers that prove less durable than the favourites.
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The New York Times
16 June 1978 · Vincent Canby
90*
The critic calls the film a contemporary fantasy about a 1950s teen musical that is funnier, wittier and more imaginative than a typical Hollywood product, with a life of its own. The score is singled out as one of the best things about the production, supplemented by new and old material that enhances the energetic entertainment.
Maher calls Grease a musical masterpiece despite dated sexual politics and cartoonish performances, praising the high-energy songs and direction as thrilling, foot-tapping achievements.
Twenty years on it is still clear why Grease was such a hit: it is the musical for everyone who thought musicals couldn't be cool, with great show-stopping songs and a perfectly cast ensemble. It has turned into a singalong interactive classic and is still the best musical of the last 20 years.
The critic praises the film's youthful vitality and tremendous energy in its wall-to-wall song and dance numbers, along with John Travolta's charismatic screen presence and Randal Kleiser's promising directorial debut.
The memorable song-and-dance routines and all-round exuberance make it stand out among screen musicals. Its clunky kitsch quality ironically makes it a perpetual joy, with energetic numbers full of innuendo.
The 1978 film has some horrible acting but the kind of exuberance that has made it a cult classic. Half the cast playing 17-year-olds are well over that age, but what the hell, this is kitsch heaven.
The critic describes the film as a fun, bubbly musical filled with memorable songs but notes its strange emphasis on nostalgia for its own sake and praises Travolta's magnetic dancing and Channing's standout performance in one reflective number.
The review finds the film well calculated commercially and notes its professionalism and vivacity, with the best numbers eloquently conveying rules of American high-school society. The critic singles out the dancing, romanticism and the closed society of the characters for praise while observing the easy homesickness for the past.
The review states that Grease has got it from the outstanding animated titles through the rousing finale. Director Randal Kleiser and choreographer Patricia Birch are praised for staging the sequences with aplomb, and the excellent screenplay is highlighted for moving smartly.
As a first-time viewer, the critic is conflicted about the film, noting that the second half drags with unresolved subplots and many musical numbers that do not hold up, such as 'Beauty School Dropout'. They acknowledge the memorable songs and John Travolta's magnetic presence as reasons for its enduring appeal, even without fully embracing it.
The critic argues that the film achieves a new low in retro styles by condescendingly recreating a perceived hideous 1950s through the lens of middle-class adulthood and calculated nostalgia rather than authentic teen experience. It singles out Olivia Newton-John's sincere performance as Sandy as one of the few elements not undermined by the film's insistent knowingness.
Malcolm finds the film a grave disappointment lacking style or substance, criticizing the aging cast, grim dancing, misplaced disco soundtrack and Randal Kleiser's direction. He notes some compensations in supporting performances but calls the rest pure pap.
The review describes the film as flashy opportunistic nostalgia pitched at a young audience, which quickly becomes irritating and more simplistic and reactionary than the beach blanket movies of the era it emulates. It singles out the surface glitter, colour and movement but notes only one decent song, the title track.
The critic calls the film empty junk-food nostalgia with no heart, though it acknowledges the perverse appeal of its superficial iconography and singles out Stockard Channing's Rizzo as a grace note.
The critic notes the thin plot but praises the highly choreographed songs that make up for it big-style. The film is a true classic that everyone remembers dazzling songs from, and audiences can't help but sing along.
The critic views Grease as a campy, feel-good musical that influenced his queer identity through its gender-transgressing elements and vulgarity, praising its nostalgic yet edgy take on the 1950s despite being a lighthearted affair.
Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate
