Grease / YMMV - TV Tropes

Accidental Aesop: Many people interpret Danny and Sandy's wardrobe changes at the end of the movie in a negative light, seeing it as each "giving up" part of themselves to be what they believe the other wants instead. The implied meaning in reality is actually more about compromise - that is, they are both willingly receptive to crossing over into the other's lifestyle if it means they can be together, and he can mature without going completely square or abandoning his friends, while she can loosen up without abandoning her morals.
Actor Shipping:
- It was rumoured that John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John had an affair. They didn't, but they did become close friends.
- Some fans just can't hide how much they enjoy the chemistry between two of the actors from the 2016 special: Elle McLemore (Patty), and Noah Robbins (Eugene). Just look at this example.^note This was taken up to eleven during Fox's Easter Sunday 2016 rebroadcast of the special when the two occasionally flirted with each other over Twitter. Unfortunately for the shippers, Elle got engaged to someone who wasn't Noah Robbins^note just before Christmas 2016.
Adaptation Displacement: You'll usually see the film more remembered than the Broadway musical, especially with most tropes in this article applying to the movie script. How many people even remember that Danny was originally played on Broadway by Barry Bostwick and that Rizzo was Adrienne Barbeau? The 1971 Kingston Mines Grease (pre-Broadway) itself was displaced by both the Broadway version and the film, except for when it got a brief 40th-anniversary revival. The 2016 live show even incorporated several elements invented for the film, most notably the car race (which would of course be pretty hard to portray on stage) and the songs that were written for the screen.
Adorkable:
- Doody. Whether he is awkwardly attempting to ask Frenchy out in the play or is the only T-Bird in the movie who hesitates at the thought of racing at Thunder Road, he still manages to have a fun presence nevertheless. Justified in that he is the youngest of the Greasers, although this detail is made explicit only in his script bio.
- Frenchy gets one in the TV version during Doody's song "Those Magic Changes". When he leaves after serenading her, you can see her geeking out in the background.
- Although the T-Birds (bar Kenickie and Danny) were this trope in other adaptations, they seem to have had an extra dose of it in the TV adaptation. They're a lot goofier and wisecracking, which makes their "tough guy" look much more of a façade. Doody in particular had his adorkable factor turned up ever since he's started to play guitar. It's enough to make the girls around the school (and the girls of the studio audience) swoon.
- Tom Chisum is seen stacking his and Sandy's lunch trays, the table condiments, and his burger and fries into a tower after Sandy leaves the table in the fast food joint. Also, his awkward first words with Sandy were borderline cute.
Alternative Character Interpretation:
- Patty Simcox is portrayed as obnoxious and a loser, but aside from apparently gossiping about Rizzo's possible pregnancy (and Rizzo already being rude to nearly every character she interacts with in the film, though she does make some amends), what does she do that makes her so bad? She's a little too perky, but not really deserving of getting kicked off a bench, made fun of, having her dress lifted up in front of the whole dance, and in the stage musical get punched by post-makeover Sandy.
  - She did slut-shame Rizzo to the group she was showing around just before "There Are Worse Things I Could Do". Although you could argue that was more The Dog Bites Back, especially since Rizzo seems to bully her for being a"goody-goody."
- Eugene, while being a bit pompous and full of himself, certainly doesn't seem to deserve all the treatment he gets from the Thunderbirds.
- Many view Sandy’s transformation as (not without cause) sexist. But there are some hints that Sandy felt unsatisfied with who she was even without Danny. So she might have turned to trying something other than her old style in order to find herself.
  - More clearly shown in the original stage version, when she phones Frenchy and asks for support and a makeover ".. and bring your makeup case" between the bridge "When they look at me and they criticise..." and the final verse. (for reference, the stage lyrics are here). This is also pointed to in the 2016 TV version, where Rizzo asks Sandy if she's sure she wants the makeover.
  - Another helpful factor is that Danny already loves her as a "good girl," wants to be with her, and has been trying to change for her. She was the one who dumped him when he moved too fast for her sexually at their drive-in date. With that in mind, her transformation definitely isn't so much about pleasing Danny – he's already ready and waiting for her – than about changing her world so he can fit into it.
- Was Cha-Cha in the movie just an evil scheming bitch when she literally snatched Danny away from Sandy during the dance or did she just want an opportunity to show off her (admittedly impressive) dance moves? Notice how she doesn’t really pay any attention to Danny until he and Sandy draw a crowd. Given that we don’t know what her background and very little of what her education looks like, it’s possible that she might have thought she’d never get another chance to dance in front of a crowd. Then again it has been outright stated that in this continuity that she and Danny did have a thing in the past. If it’s the latter then is her Hate Sink treatment entirely fair or does it paint her as something of an Attention Whore?
- About Rizzo's Pregnancy Scare: is it really just a false alarm, as she says in the end, or does she secretly get an abortion?
Audience-Coloring Adaptation: Following Olivia Newton-John's casting in the film, many productions have followed suit and made Sandy Australian. Or at least they cast her as blonde, even though the script doesn't mention her hair color.
Award Snub: "Hopelessly Devoted to You" was received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, but "Last Dance" from Thank God It's Friday won instead.
Awesome Music: Almost all the songs, especially "Greased Lightnin'," "Summer Nights," and "You're The One That I Want." Quite a few people prefer the songs over the actual movie. Also, "Hopelessly Devoted to You"—despite being the Award-Bait Song—stands out significantly too. The fact that at least some of these songs still get radio play to this day ensures that even people who never saw the film heard at least one of its songs.
Base-Breaking Character: Danny. Some think that he ultimately shows himself to be a good guy who really does care for Sandy and his friends, and is willing to change for his Love Interest. Others can't look past his earlier poor treatment of Sandy with and note that his change for her is too downplayed (and seemingly discarded) in comparison to her change for him.
Beam Me Up, Scotty!: Some people misremember "Sandra Dee" as being Sandy's actual name. It's not. (Presumably they don't know that Sandra Dee was a real person.)
Big-Lipped Alligator Moment:
- "Beauty School Dropout." In the middle of a Slice of Life high school plot, a guardian angel appears from heaven to give Frenchy advice!
- Doody and the guitar, just to give him a song in "Those Magic Changes". The scene was axed in the film, and it's sung by Johnny and the Gamblers at prom instead.
- The end of the movie. Is the car actually flying???
Broken Base: Sandy's transformation. Some see it as Character Development, while others see it as an Unnecessary Makeover. The intended moral was Anti-Conformity, despite the fact that Sandy is just conforming to a different set of societal expectations.
Common Knowledge: The theme tune isn't called Grease is the Word.
Delusion Conclusion: One popular theory is that it's Sandy's dying dream as she drowns on the beach, explaining a few oddities, like Danny claiming he saved her life in "Summer Nights". The ending with the flying car, then, is where she finally starts to suffer from pre-death Sanity Slippage. Olivia Newton-John thought this theory was quite amusing, claiming it made the film into "the first Zombie musical".
Designated Hero: Danny, our male lead who we are suppose to consider as a great guy, is not really all that great. Sexual harassment at the drive-in aside, his overall attitude towards Sandy qualifies as emotional abuse. This does get amended in future adaptations and revivals, where he likes Sandy but doesn't want to seem uncool to his friends, then feels genuine remorse for brushing her off. However, many would say while this is a step in the right direction, he still comes across as abusive.
Epileptic Trees: The entire story is Sandy's Dying Dream as she drowns in the ocean, imagining what might have happened if someone saved her. The theory was first suggested in 2013, and popularized a few years later by Sarah Michelle Gellar after she stumbled across the post. The cited evidence is the line in "Summer Nights" about Danny saving Sandy from drowning, and the flying car at the end of the film which represents her mind finally losing all concept of reality. Olivia Newton-John was quite amused by the theory, saying it would make the show the first zombie musical. A while later, John Travolta also said he loved it, though he noted that he'd always figured Danny was exaggerating the drowning story for his friends.
- This theory comes across as extremely Harsher in Hindsight following the 2022 death of Olivia. Not helped by Sandy waving to her friends (and the audience) as she and Greased Lightning fly off into the sky.
Esoteric Happy Ending: The end of the musical, in which Sandy remakes herself as less of a Sandra Dee innocent in order to win the attraction of Danny, has both its defenders and detractors. Depending on how well each individual show portrays it, either an uptight girl learns to loosen up a little in order to get the guy she's attracted to, who himself has been attempting to do the same, or else a perfectly fine woman changes herself for the worse in order to conform with people who have acted like jerks for the past two acts. It's worth noting that in the film adaptation's Movie Bonus Song "You're the One That I Want", the major theme of the song is "You better shape up" - in short, whether or not Sandy has changed for the worse, she's not going to put up with Danny's douchebaggery, and she makes it clear from the word go. So this trope may not apply to the film.
Fandom-Enraging Misconception: Sha Na Na do not play as themselves during the High-School Dance sequence in the 1978 film. They actually play a fictional band called "Johnny Casino & The Gamblers". This misconception is believed to have originated from the film's soundtrack album, which credited every song to their respective actors, including Sha Na Na.
Germans Love David Hasselhoff: The musical and its soundtrack are immensely popular in Sweden, within the Greaser and Rockabilly culture.
Hilarious in Hindsight: Teen Angel is described as a Fabian lookalike in the original stage script, but in the movie, he's played by a different '50s teen idol, Frankie Avalon. A 1998 Denny's commercial lampshades those two singers' similarity by having two men argue about whether the song playing in the background is by Fabian or Frankie Avalon. (It's Avalon.) ^note
Hollywood Pudgy:
- Although the film version still treated Jan as if she were overweight, her actress was actually far from it. They tried to downplay her figure with frumpy clothing compared to the other girls. Her figure is clearly displayed at the end of the film when she's in a summer dress. Jamie Donnelly claims that the intent was for Jan to be played as a fat, frumpy girl at the start and that she'd get more confidence and the chance to clean up nicely.
  - This is either averted or played straight in the stage productions, depending on the actress cast in the role. The original Broadway Jan (Garn Stephens) was actually a bit overweight. Later Jan actresses are either chubby, or simply just have slightly thicker hips and waist compared to those playing the other female characters.
- Roger is referred to as a "lardass" by both Jan and Sonny in the Broadway script. His character bio also describes him as being "stocky," but most actors playing him tended to be on the thinner side, making these comments look strange. Some productions avert this and cast heavier actors in the role, which creates the effect of him and Jan being the token pair of fat kids.
Ho Yay: There is perhaps an undercurrent between Danny and Kenickie. During "Summer Nights" Putzie is seen briefly groping Kenickie who looks like he's thoroughly enjoying it. And "Greased Lightnin'" is brimming with homo-eroticism what with the butt-shots and Danny's head being in direct line to Kenickie's crotch and vice versa much of the time; the fact that the lyrics are about how much pussy they're going to get makes this a Funny Moment. There's quite an undercurrent in the 'Will you be my second?" conversation they have just before the race.
- Kenickie's head also likes to find its way in between Danny's knees during the music numbers, A LOT. Hug and a hair comb. Enough said.
Hype Backlash: Paramount waited five years after first entering the DVD market to release Grease in that format. They also apparently spent a lot on advertising, including staging a cast reunion. Unfortunately, fans hoping Paramount put as much effort into restoring the movie and producing bonus features found nothing but an anamorphic upscale of the 1998 restoration, the original trailer, and a handful of interviews dragged over from the 20th Anniversary Laserdisc/VHS. They had to wait for four more years for a DVD with better picture and more extras.
It's the Same, Now It Sucks!: The TV special and several of the revivals have been criticized for trying harder to emulate the movie than the original stage show. The 2005 revival even opened with the movie's notoriously '70s-sounding Frankie Valli theme.
Just Here for Godzilla: Most people care more about the songs than they do the story, the characters and by extension, the message. In fact, several people care only about the songs. They're so catchy and upbeat, that it shouldn't be a surprise that they've stayed this popular for so long. Many of them are played free of context so often that younger generations don't even know about the musical they came from.
Mis-blamed: During an Entertainment Weekly interview, Olivia Newton-John once apologized over the only character of color in the film was Alpha Bitch Cha-Cha. First of all, the character was probably intended to be Italian, with "Cha-Cha" being a nickname for "Charlene" and her last name being "DiGregorio." And if we're going by the actors, as Annette Charles was believed to be of mixed Mexican-Sicilian ancestry, Lorenzo Lamas was also of Latino descent.
Moment of Awesome:
- Eugene, the nerd who has been harassed at the beginning of the movie by the T-Birds, gets to show them up at the school carnival when the "tough guys" fail to aim and hit the coach with a pie and Eugene just takes a pie and it lands on the coach's face, who then asks Eugene if he'd consider joining the baseball team.
  - He gets an added moment in the TV version. He uses his rocket science knowledge to upgrade the T-Birds' car, Greased Lightning, so that they will win the race. How do the T-Birds repay him after winning the race? By welcoming him into their gang!
- Sandy gets one herself in the TV version, when she stands up to Patty to defend Rizzo when the latter is having a Pregnancy Scare. She wins by getting a good Deadpan Snarker moment that verbally burns Patty. This exchange between Rizzo and Sandy follows:
Rizzo: I don't need anybody to fight my battles for me, but I got to admit... that was a good one.
Sandy: She had it coming.
Rizzo: Yeah, and you're the one who finally gave it to her.
One-Scene Wonder: Teen Angel for "Beauty School Dropout," played by none other than Frankie Avalon himself. Even better in the 2016 version where he's split into three characters portrayed by the freaking Boyz II Men. The 2005 revival also boasted how he was played by the American Idol season five winner Taylor Hicks.
Questionable Casting: All the actors playing teenagers wouldn't even pass for college students, especially Stockard Channing (who was in high school in actual 1959).
Refrain from Assuming: The song is called "Summer Nights", not "Summer Loving" or "Tell Me More".
Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Danny is hated by some for his crappy treatment of Sandy, and the T-Birds have also attached similar ire for being bullies to poor Eugene. Later versions have tried to make them more sympathetic, particularly the TV Special where Danny is markedly better to Sandy while the group treat Eugene like a friend.
Retroactive Recognition:
- The basketball player Danny sucker-punches on defense? Michael Biehn.
- Eddie Deezen played Eugene Felsnic in the first and second movies, long before he became famous for his voicework in cartoons.
Signature Scene: Everybody now, Summer lovin', had me a blaaast-
Special Effects Failure:
- The movie's attempts at performing Product Displacement on the Frosty Palace's Coca-Cola billboard could prove distracting; the blurring on most old prints looks rather crude, and the 2018 restoration's Pepsi billboard looks cut-and-pasted into the scene.
- The drag race in the 2016 TV special falls victim to this if the viewer finds it obvious that the cars don't really move during most of the scene. (And if the viewer doesn't find it obvious, the behind-the-scenes montage during the end credits reveals so.)
Stoic Woobie: Rizzo. Especially in her song "There Are Worse Things I Could Do."
Superfluous Solo:
- "Those Magic Changes" in the stage version, a spotlight moment for Doody that has no bearing on the rest of the plot. The 2016 TV special tried to integrate it more into the plot by having it accompany Danny's attempts at impressing Sandy through playing sports.
- "Sandy" was specially written to give John Travolta a solo song, as he shares his other songs with Olivia Newton-John ("Summer Nights" and "You're the One that I Want") and Jeff Conaway ("Greased Lightning"). The song was written to capitalize on the late-70s trend of songs named after young women (such as “Mandy”).
Tough Act to Follow: Despite its huge popularity, Grease in its movie form, according to the book 501 Must-See Movies "did virtually nothing for the careers of everyone involved."
- Much like Gone with the Wind did with the career of David O. Selznick, Grease became this for its director Randal Kleiser.
Unnecessary Makeover: Sandy was perfectly fine as a wholesome, sweet cheerleader, but Danny and his friends truly accept her only when she starts dressing like one of them. Although Danny WAS willing to change halfway for her too, and most people think that her new fad wouldn't last long, and he'd be fine with that.
Unintentional Period Piece: It's the most '70s version of the '50s ever made. The original play is much more period-appropriate, and lacks many of the scenes people remember from the film adaptation.
Unintentionally Sympathetic:
- Poor Eugene. At worst he can be a bit too full of himself. Despite that, he regularly gets bullied by Danny's gang who doesn't even do anything to, and we're supposed to laugh and be on their side. This is thankfully averted in the TV Special where he gets thrown several bones.
- We're meant to dislike Patty Simcox and enjoy her seeing her getting knocked down a peg. This is despite her not doing anything wrong to anyone throughout the show excluding when she gossips about Rizzo's pregnancy. And even then, she did that after Rizzo treated her (and everyone else) like shit and tries to make up afterwards. Again, the TV Special tried to fix this a bit.
Unintentionally Unsympathetic:
- Danny's gang that often acts as jerks or bullies, especially to Eugene. Normally, in a classic scholastic teen movie, they would be the antagonists. This is averted in the TV special, where they are much kinder to the point where they welcome Eugene in their group after he helped them win the race. While Kenickie earns some points for caring about Rizzo, Danny's relationship with Sandy makes him come across as worse than them all (although, see a couple of sentences below). Not only does he emotionally manipulate Sandy, but he gets too hot and heavy with her too quickly at one point, which almost verges on date rape. Although, in the film, from "Sandy" onwards, and again, the TV Special tried to alter their relationship a bit to avert this. (Both Danny and Sandy make some effort to meet each other halfway, and he does seem genuinely penitent during "Sandy".
- Marty. Sorry, we're meant to sympathise with a girl who has just swore she won't tell anyone her best friend is pregnant, and, within seconds, blabs?! As if! It's a little better in the stage version, where she doesn't blab to Sonny the way she does in the movie, but specifically tells Kenickie, probably trying to do the right thing because she (rightly) suspects that Rizzo is lying about Kenickie not being the father.
Values Dissonance:
- Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey intended for Sandy's change to be seen as her becoming freer and sexually liberated, shedding the '50s "good girl" stereotype, as well as a reversal of the "bad boy becomes good" plot they'd seen in films of that era. The problem is that the rigid and repressing sexual mores that Sandy would be seen as adhering to in the beginning are no longer present in current media and haven't been for a long time; so what should have looked like her liberating herself from society's outdated expectations appeared instead to be her simply conforming to a different societal construct, one now seen as self-destructive, to appeal to her ex-boyfriend who's not obviously that nice to begin with. Even within the film itself, Sandy is never shown to feel pressured by her parents or society to act like an innocent "good girl," but she is shown to be heavily prude-shamed by the entire cast all film, so it comes off less like her embracing her true self and more like (as stated above) giving into new social mores thrust upon her.
- Whether you like or dislike Sandy's transformation in the end, the fact that she takes up smoking wouldn't fly today. Unsurprisingly, this was cut from the 2016 live TV version.
- Danny's groping and aggressive attempted make-out session with an unwilling Sandy at the drive-in movie is sexual harassment by modern standards. In a modern musical, it would probably lead to a permanent breakup, and not be portrayed as just a blunder that causes another temporary split.
- "Tell me more, did she put up a fight?" Really not cool, Kenickie.
- Sonny is noticeably predatory. Thankfully, he gets called out for the predatory attitude by Kenickie (flicked on the nose by K's comb after "Could she get me a friend"), by Danny ("Come on, is that all you think about?"), and by Marty when offering her an escort home ("It's not the arms I'm scared of, it's the hands").
- The dance contest's rule #1 "All couples must be boy-girl." On the other hand, it is The '50s... (and the fact that the school even feels the need to make that a rule offers some interesting subtext). However, those who still take ballroom dance class know this rule all too well.
Why Would Anyone Take Him Back?: From what we see of Danny Zuko, at least in the stage version, he's just not worth it. Sandy should just dump him and move on. (Is this a Gender Flip of normal romance tropes, in which a boy has to "win" a girl who initially rejects him?) This is averted in the TV special and film version, where Danny is given more good qualities and feels genuine remorse for having brushed off Sandy.

YMMV / Grease

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