Grease is an iconic movie musical that is far better and more life-changing than it
had any right to be.
It's cheesy, silly, and still manages resonate with audiences 40 years after its release.
However, as with many classics, many dated moments didn't age quite as well as others.
Here's all the things in Grease you only notice as an adult.
Too old for school
If you thought everyone in this movie looked way too old to be in high school, that's because
they were!
John Travolta, who played Danny, was the youngest at 24.
Olivia Newton-John, who played Sandy, was 30, and Stockard Channing aka Rizzo, was 34.
"I'm gonna get my kicks while I'm still young enough to get 'em!"
With child labor laws to consider, it makes sense that Hollywood tends to cast older actors
as teenagers.
But Grease feels like it's pushing that just a bit too far.
"Jan that is so adolescent" "We ARE adolescent"
Another overly mature aspect of this film?
The dialogue.
"I did that.
I did meet this one chick, she was… she was sorta cool."
"You mean she puts out?"
Nearly every line is either an innuendo, a shameless flirtation, or dirty lyrics about
a racecar.
Seriously: Watch the Greased Lightning scene again, but pay close attention to the lyrics.
"you want supreme, the chicks'll cream for greased lightning."
You'll be shocked your parents ever let you watch this when you were a kid!
A school that actually cares?
For many of us, high school was a nightmare.
But Rydell High, the fictional school in Grease, seems like a haven.
Aside from the massive carnival thrown to celebrate graduation, Rydell's staff goes
above and beyond for their students.
When Danny tries to get into sports to win Sandy's affection, Coach Calhoun refuses to
give up on him despite his lack of talent.
The shop teacher helps get Kenickie's car in gear even when there are stolen parts involved,
and then shows up at the big race to cheer for the T-Birds!
And who could forget Principal McGee and her hapless assistant Blanche, sobbing as another
senior class leaves the school?
"oh, blanche, stop blubbering"
Played by Eve Arden and Dody Goodman, this duo provide some of the biggest laughs of
the film.
"Blanche, do you have the new schedules?"
"Oh yes, Ms. McGee.
I just had my hands on them."
"Oh good, they'll be nice and smudged."
While most teen movies tend to drag in scenes when the grown ups are involved, Grease gives
two talented actresses time to shine.
Sympathy for the Rizzo
The older you get, the more you realize that Rizzo is actually the most sympathetic character
in the whole movie.
Compared to the other pink ladies, Rizzo is layered and nuanced.
She's the only girl in Grease who gets to make mistakes and learn from them.
She also gets the best songs.
In a movie loaded with backwards sexual politics, There Are Worse Things I Could Do was remarkably
ahead of its time.
On the surface, it's a heartbreaking and romantic ballad.
But at its core, it's about a woman who is afraid to be vulnerable with a man because
she's been hurt so many times before, and how she'd rather be called a tramp than actually
admit that she cares.
Unlike Sandy, Rizzo realizes she doesn't need to change anything about herself in order
to be happy.
Rock on!
Bathroom ice cream
Many of the film's biggest moments take place at The Frosty Palace, a malt shop where kids
in the 50s used to hang out.
From Frenchie's divine intervention to Rizzo throwing a shake at Kenickie, this was the
place to be.
It's also the scene of a blink and you'll miss it moment of hilarity where Rizzo strolls
out of the ladies room… holding an ice cream cone.
Rizzo clearly doesn't care what people think of her, but couldn't she have asked one of
her Pink Ladies to hold her cone while she took a bathroom break?
Aspirin in my Coke
Marty is one of Grease's most underrated, and hilarious, characters.
"Oh!
Double doo-doo!"
"What's up doc?"
"One of my diamonds fell in the macaroni!"
Her big moment comes at the school dance, when she sidles up to host Vince Fontaine.
She laughs at his bad jokes and doesn't seem to mind that he's an older man.
In short, she's smitten.
We don't find out how their night actually went until Marty drops this bombshell at the
drive-in.
"I caught Vince Fontaine trying to put aspirin in my coke at the dance."
Rizzo doesn't seem bothered that her friend almost got roofied, and it's unlikely that
any of the kids watching this movie would have understood what Marty was talking about
either.
Yikes.
A happy ending?
If there's one talking point that's gained some serious traction in since the movie's
release, it's Sandy's infamous makeover.
While some argue that Danny technically changed, too, his so-called transformation pales in
comparison to Sandy's.
"Tell me about it, stud."
It begs the question: should Danny and Sandy even be together?
After one brief summer of happiness, they spend the entire movie at each other's throats.
Eventually, Sandy perms her hair, wears some leather and takes up smoking, and she and
Danny ride away in their flying car.
If you have to change who you are to get someone to like you…
please reconsider.
Danny and Sandy are doomed, and there's just no way around it.
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