By Melissa Antoinette Garza
GREASE (1978) is a fantastic musical. There were few weekends that this wasn’t playing on my television as a kid. My older and more conventional sister always saw herself as Sandy (Olivia Newton-John), but me – I am and have always been a Rizzo (Stockard Channing) girl.
For the few unfamiliar, the movie begins with “teenagers” Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy enjoying a summer romance together. Danny is super fem and romantic the entire time. Sandy is smitten with it and falls fast. Thinking they’ll be worlds away come September, they say their goodbyes.
Danny tells his friends a few lies about their relationship and makes it seem as though they went further than they did. Bitch move, bro. His crew is in a club called the T-Birds. It consists of Danny, Kenickie (Jeff Conaway), Doody (Bary Pearl), Sonny (Michael Tucci) and Putzie (Kelly Ward). They are all little-boy men and they’re all gross.
Still, GREASE is all about the Pink Ladies for me. That’s the fem patrol! That’s the gal squad. Some people say it’s the Chipettes version of the T-Birds. Fuck that! Rizzo is all Alvin and would eat Danny boy and Kenickie alive.
Sandy ends up at the same school as Danny and the Pink Ladies. He doesn’t know Danny goes there and Danny doesn’t know she’s there. Danny spins his web of lies, while Sandy meets Frenchie (Didi Conn). Frenchie welcomes Sandy into the PL which includes Rizzo, Jan (Jamie Donnelly) and Marty (Dina Manoff). Sandy fawns over Danny as my girl Rizzo is cool, suave, sexy and oh so bad. I love her. I love her so much. Everyone is dancing and singing in this scene and my eyes are always looking for Rizzo in her hot black dress, killer glasses and snide lyrics. She’s just all sorts of gorgeousness. I just want to follow Rizzo around everywhere. I worship the character and the actress so it is just all sorts of spectacular.
Rizzo is the first to find out Sandy is talking about T-Bird Danny. She plays a little minx-ie game and gets them to see one another at a football game. Danny plays machismo douche which totally turns Sandy off. She ends up picking up with some jock dude named Tom (Lorenzo Lamas). She’s not that into him and wants Danny back. Danny gets jealous enough where he starts to act a bit more preppy to get Sandy. He’s still lame. I’m just not that excited by him. Meanwhile, Sandy tries to go a bit more bold which does excite me. She looks dynamite in leather.
Rizzo ends up having a pregnancy scare with asshole Kenickie. She can do so much better. Where are the good guys in this flick? Why are they all so horrible? There isn’t much difference between the T-Birds and their adversary gang and their leader Crater Face Leo (Dennis Stewart).
Whereas the T-Birds are all assholes, for the most part the Pink Ladies are all magnificent. Marty has a number of military boyfriends that she brags about. Frenchie is all heart and sweetness. Jan is all flamboyance and fun – and then there’s Rizzo. I adore her. She’s so fierce. Her lines like “I’m going to get my kicks, while I’m still young enough to get them,” is just so marvelous. She doesn’t give a fuck. She takes care of herself. She’s got a heart, but she doesn’t wear it on her sleeve. She’s a fighter and will protect the people she cares about even if it hurts her. She walks with pride even when she feels like shit. She won’t let the pious and self-righteous dictate how she lives her life. She’s a goddamn feminist icon and I love her. I don’t give a shit if Sandy and Danny end up together, but I so want Rizzo to rule the world. She’s just hardcore with a moral compass all her own. Her song numbers are fabulous. She’s just the sexiest gal ever. I’ve loved her since I was a kid. She is the reason this film is so dear to me. THERE ARE WORSE THINGS I CAN DO is the best song in the film and a go-to feminist anthem for me when I want to go vamp.
I can’t suggest GREASE enough. To this day, I watch it a few times a year. It’s fabulous.
Scared Stiff Rating: 8/10
