Grease 2 (1982)

Movie Info

He’s…so…cool

Michael Carrington (Maxwell Caulfield) is an exchange student following his cousin Sandy’s footsteps by attending Rydell High School.  Michael has eyes for Stephanie Zinone (Michelle Pfeiffer), but Stephanie is a Pink Lady and Pink Ladies can only date T-Birds.  With help from school drop-out Frenchy (Didi Conn) who has returned to Rydell with the hopes of becoming a cosmetics producer, Michael hopes to land Stephanie.  Michael realizes that a motorcycle could be the key to being with Stephanie…but romancing Stephanie could be hard.

Directed by Patricia Birch, Grease 2 is a musical romance.  A sequel to Grease from 1978, the film was released to negative reviews but has gained a cult following over the years.

I was never a huge Grease person.  It was entertaining and some of the music was fun, but I never was part of the “Cult of Grease” because a lot of the middle of the movie is pretty dull.  While I can recognize Grease as mostly positive movie, that cannot be said about Grease 2.

I’m confused…do we like these guys? I don’t think we like these guys…

Grease became camp through its popularity, Grease 2 feels like it is starting out as camp and striving to be camp…and a lot of time camp just has to happen.  It (like the original) is a dull plot, but less focused and less directed.  Are the T-Birds just jerks…are the Pink Ladies just outdated.  It feels like it is punishing people who bought into the 1950s roles of the original by pointing out some of the sexist hierarchy created in the school.  It is possibly an accurate take on period, but it is just done poorly.

Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield just don’t have the energy and fun of Travolta and John…especially the intentionally bland Caulfield.  They are back-up by actors that aren’t bad, but they don’t have much to do.  You also have Didi Conn, Eve Arden, Dody Goodman, Sid Caesar, Eddie Deezen, and Dennis C. Stewart returning in supporting roles, but they too are sidelined instead of enhancing the movie.  Tab Hunter has a bizarre role as substitute teacher who teaches about reproduction (in maybe the movie’s only halfway memorable song) while Connie Stevens is the sexpot teacher.

She’s dressed as a Christmas tree…Grease 2 is now a Christmas movie

Grease 2 looks kind of trashy.  It is an interesting period of time being covered because greasers are starting to go by the wayside and the visuals of the late 1950s and early 1960s are a bit of a contrast, but the movie doesn’t play it up.  I feel like the movie would have done better if Grease and Grease 2 were closer to five years apart in story structure…Grease 2 could have been more reflexive.

With bad music, so-so performances, and a tone that is all over, Grease 2 is a miserable mess that takes the joy out of the first movie.  It tries too hard and it fails.  It is like watching a John Waters film without the vulgarity or social commentary.  If the movie had been loaded with great songs, it might have skated by on the music, but instead, Grease 2 is a movie that bores from start to finish.

Related Links:

Grease (1978)

Grease Live! (2016)