Vaselina 2

I have to admit the first time I saw Grease 2 I didn't think I would like it. The first time I saw it me and my friend decided to turn it off after the first twenty minutes because we thought it was so stupid. Later, another friend of mine brought her copy over to my house and I decided to try and watch it again and I have to admit it grew on me. My roommate and I rented it a few weeks ago and we enjoyed seeing it again. This one was not as good as the original mind you, but it is still very good and enjoyable for anyone. If any of you have seen the original Grease but not this version I recommend you do. You might enjoy it.

Take it on it's own merits. Forget the vulgarity of the original Grease. You can sing these songs (even "Reproduction") without embarrassment, something you CAN'T do with the songs from "Grease". This is a fun movie. I saw it I don't know how many times at the theater and took my friends by the herd to see it and they loved it. Maxwell Caufield <sp> was great in the role of the misplaced Englishman and Michelle Pfieffer <sp> was great as the confused Stephanie. I thought that the change of the 'coolness' of the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies was a good reflection of the changing times--not too many people were interested in gangs and codes etc, I guess. Don't try to judge this movie as simply a sequel to "Grease"...it's NOT really a sequel. It's more of a continuation, just in a different atmosphere.

In my opinion, this movie shouldn't be rated on it's merits as a film. It's simply god-awful - but that being said, you cannot tear yourself away!

The songs themselves are ridiculous, the performances of them even more so but the kitsch value cannot be underestimated. Laugh as Michelle Pfeiffer spins across campus like a deranged duck at the end of "Cool Rider". Chortle as Maxwell Caufield (in an absolutely horrendous sweater) desperately tries to carry a tune. Giggle at all of the players as they attempt to make a serious go of it!

That this is a bad movie & doesn't live up to the original goes without saying. But there is definite entertainment value to be gotten from this disaster and you shouldn't discount that. Tonight...we bowl!

You know, Grease 2 has taken a lot of flack & extensive bad reviews for not living up to the original. I really don't think that is to fair considering the cast was totally different. Granted there was no super-star-pop-icon like Olivia Newton-John. There wasn't the hot-70's & 80's actor John Travolta. However, there were some great stars in this film. The writing may have been a little less than perfect...the direction might not have been up to par. But for me, being EXTREMLY young when both Grease 1 & 2 came out, I never compared the two. I think they are two different films with the same "type" of concept. The music was good. The dance scenes are good. & yes, even the story is okay. Grease mania is about being a devoted fan... that is something I am. I liked both of these films on two different levels. Grease without a doubt is the better of the two. But this one is not as bad as the negativity everyone feeds into it. If see one, see the other. Just note that they are both FUN movies! Nothing more. The sequel centers around Sandy's cousin Michael. He is in love with Stephanie, & trys EVERYTHING possible to win her over. The Pink Ladies are still cooler than ever. The T-Birds are not as tuff, but are sexy! 1-10 Grease(10) Grease2(8) Z.

I used to work in a record store in the late 80s/early 90s, and one thing we sold a copy of at least every week was the Grease 2 soundtrack. I used to ask the people buying about it, and they all acknowledged that it was one of the worst movies, but that there is something about it so lovable, and that the songs are terrible, but there's something about them so charming… Now that I've seen the movie, I know what they mean.

This movie is appalling in nearly every respect, but there's just something about it--perhaps how brazenly appalling it is--that gives it an almost hypnotic fascination.

I love how the producers made only the most surface-level attempt to even appear 50s. The clothes, hairstyles, songs, and ways of speaking all scream 80s. I haven't the slightest idea why they decided to dress Michelle Pheiffer in things that essentially look like sweatshirts for the first half of the movie. And she's got on those huge dark glasses all the time… making her look like early Debbie Harry. You just really have to wonder. As for the sets… I don't think I've ever seen such low production values in a movie released by a major studio. The sets also are brazenly 80s… When Michelle is being tutored, they are OBVIOUSLY in an Elias Brothers Big Boy! Couldn't they at least have found a 50s-themed diner? There is also a scene showing guys motorcycling through a subdivision that looks like 1985 Westland, Michigan, and another time--my favorite--when Michelle and someone are sitting out in what is obviously some municipal park, with a huge superhighway with massive 18-wheelers barreling by in the background. I really have to take my hat off.

What's also charmingly appalling is how the producers made NO attempt to recapture ANYTHING you may have loved about the first movie. And I tell you, this movie makes the original look like Gone With the Wind. You really should be required to see both to appreciate what a graceful, charming movie the first one is. This is so obviously just a craven cash-in by whoever owned the rights (that's you, Allan Carr!) that, in some perverse way, only makes it the more appealing.

Everyone in this movie looks embarrassed, but none more so that Michelle Pheiffer. Obviously WRONG in every way for the part, and obviously PAINFULLY aware that she's going to look like an idiot on movie screens across America, poor Michelle seems afraid to really put herself behind any expression, movement, or song, as though by staying as still as possible she can diminish the damage. The poor girl, you can really feel her pain, especially as she sings 'Cool Rider,' and tries to dance up that ladder and down. The thing about musicals is that the characters have to appear to be transported with joy or anguish to the point that they break out in song, and poor Michelle is just so embarrassed that it really clunks. Of course, ALL the musical sequences clunk massively. If you're not buying a musical sequence it just looks like a bunch of people idiotically moving around on a set… and that's what we got here. Those poor, poor individuals.

I was amazed how poor the sound quality was. I hear this has been improved on the DVD, but it's quite clear that they were aware that these people COULD NOT SING, and tried to bury their voices as deep as possible.

What else? Well, I guess that's about it. Truly poor direction just adds to the general malaise. If you like bad, cheesy movies, they just don't get any better than this. If you are a fan of the original, you should definitely watch this, as it'll just make you love the chemistry, charming songs, and graceful story arc all the more.

--- Check out my website devoted to bad and cheesy movies: www.cinemademerde.com