Friday, August 11, 2006

Grease is the Word!

Lots of other people, like my friends, James and Kenny, often feature movie reviews on their blogs. However, it seems that I am somewhat of an oddity. (A luddite.) I have no real interest in the newest flicks. I'm not rushing out to see Superman or the latest Pirates sequel. Instead, what am I watching? Grease.

I'm not a normal guy. Perhaps I'm either Jewish or gay. The reason? I love show tunes. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) And that includes movie musicals.

Yes, I was watching Grease again. I love that movie. In my opinion, it's the best musical ever made. Ever.

The reason I was watching it was because we wanted to let the boys watch it. I'm probably way stricter than most parents. I guess most parents nowadays don't blink an eye to let their 9 and almost-7 year old watch a movie like Grease. But we are a little stricter than most. I wanted to see it again to make sure it was okay for the boys. The only thing I think I will have to explain to them is the part where the Pink Ladies are trying to push cigarettes onto Sandy at the slumber party. I think the rest (including the passionate scene with Rizzo and Kenickie) will go right over their heads.

But watching it again reminded me just how good that movie was. The big production number at the end has my eyes welling up, not from sadness of course, but from the sheer joy in it.

It's just such a great movie. I mean, sure, it launched the careers of Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta and Stockard Channing. But the movie stands alone as such a timeless classic. When I was a kid, I was not allowed to see it (because it was PG, and I was less than 13 at the time). But my parents had the album, and I listened to it every day! My pre-teen years were basted in the soundtrack of Grease. It was only when I got to college as a freshman that I actually saw the movie for the first time.

So, tomorrow, we'll drive from southern Minnesota to western Wisconsin. We'll pop Grease into the DVD player, and I think the boys will really enjoy it.

I know I will be enjoying it from the front seat.

Grease is the word, is the word, is the word.......

© Copyright 2005-2014, Scott E. Harris. All Rights Reserved.
Please do not reproduce or copy without the permission of the author.