Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) meet on the beach one summer. When the summer ends, they part ways, Sandy telling Danny her family is moving back to Australia. It seems they will never see each other again, and that they will have only their memories of a summer romance.
But when Sandy’s plans change, and she stays in America, she ends up attending the same high school as Danny and his “gang”, the T-Birds: Kenickie (Jeff Conaway), Doody (Barry Pearl), Sonny (Michael Tucci) and Putzie (Kelly Ward).
However, Danny’s version of events of what took place over the summer differs greatly from what Sandy has told her friends, the “Pink Ladies”: Rizzo (Stockard Channing), Frenchie (Didi Conn) and Jan (Jamie Donnelly).
Also, Danny has a reputation to maintain, so when other people are around, he behaves very differently towards Sandy.
This adaptation (with screenplay by Bronte Woodard), and it is an adaptation rather than a simple filming of a musical performance, is slightly different from the stage production in parts. Some of the musical numbers have been removed, a couple have been added, and some moved around a bit, too.
However, given that I have never seen the show on stage (I’ve heard the soundtrack album many times, but never had the good fortune to attend a live performance), my only real knowledge of the musical is this film version.
Directed by Randal Kleiser, this is a very enjoyable film. Set in the 1950s, there is a lot of nostalgia here for viewers who perhaps remember this era. There’s a classic diner, there’s a high-school dance, there’s all the fashions from the 1950s, there’s even all the current (at the time) pop culture references to enjoy.
The performances by the cast are good. Of course, the standout performances are John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. But the supporting cast are quite strong, too, in particular Jeff Conaway and Stockard Channing, as the self-appointed “leaders” of their respective groups. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that the cast are able to sing and dance so well, after all, the audition process for the film would have involved singing and dancing auditions as well as acting, given the nature of the project.
The choreography is also good, especially during the song “Summer Nights”, which also has some of the best backing vocal harmonies of the film.
The film is enjoyable, though not spectacular. That being said, it continues to be popular with audiences, and the musical itself has had two Broadway revivals and a live television special, so there must be something to it. Being someone who loves musical theatre, I do enjoy this film, though it is certainly not my favourite film musical, or even my favourite musical.
If you haven’t seen it yet, watch it soon. If you have seen it before (no matter how many times), watch it again soon.
8 out of 10.
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