Grease Live (2016)

Memorable, crazy movie

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Since these musical TV productions started to gather steam a couple of years ago, I have watched three of them: "Sound of Music", "Peter Pan", and this one, "Grease Live". While not nearly as dreadful as "Pan", "Grease" doesn't live up to the "Sound of Music" template, either. Unfortunately, it makes some strange decisions (flying in the face of some pretty good casting) and focuses on some add areas that lead mostly to distraction and disappointment.For a basic plot summary, this is basically the same "Grease" story you've seen on film or in the theater. Danny Zuko (Aaron Tveidt) and Sandy (Julianne Hough) have a summer fling, then find out they are now going to the same high school, a place populated by the stereotypical high school "greasers" and the cliquish "Pink Ladies", led by Rizzo (Vanessa Hudgens) and Frenchy (Carly Rae Jepsen).To start things off with a compliment, the best thing that this production has going for it is that they perfectly case Hough and Hudgens in their respective roles. Hudgens (a theater/musical vet) is nearly as good as Stockard Channing in the film version, while Hough has the dance moves and voice to back up her sweet demeanor. Jepsen is fun to watch as Frenchy, too.Also, for the first half hour or so of watching this, I was honestly intrigued and excited about what would come next. Unfortunately, it slowly started to fall apart the longer I watched.Aside from those two great casting choices and an interesting introduction, there were just too many problems for this production to ever really rope me in (like, say, the movie can):-Tveidt is not a great Zuko. He's not outright terrible, but he can't bring any of the comedic timing that Travolta could to the role, and doesn't add in anything of his own to fill that void. For a character that is such a large part of the production, this is obviously going to be a problem. -Too many extemporaneous characters that draw the focus away from Rizzo, Sandy, & Frenchy (the real talents of the show). I don't seem to remember there being so many different side-plots in other Grease adaptations I've seen. Hough's Sandy is almost criminally underutilized (again, considering how much more screen time a clearly inferior Zuko gets). -Only the "Summer Lovin'" and maybe Rizzo's solo ever got me excited and invested. Again, for a musical this isn't a good thing.So, while I really had been excited about this event for quite some time, I came away mostly disappointed. Like I said, it wasn't the utter train wreck that "Pan" turned out to be, but it also only mildly held my interest. Mainly, I felt that the real talents of the production were marginalized to suit a storyline that seemed to meander amongst characters that weren't all that interesting. That, and of course the weakness of a mediocre (at best) Zuko performance, just couldn't get me excited for much longer after the initial "bloom was off the rose" 30 or so minutes in.

I wasn't expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. This is a really nicely done musical. The performances are solid and the logistics must have been beyond the pale. The scene changes are outstanding. Compared to others of these live TV productions, this is far superior. The singing is really strong with an occasional dropout, but that's to be expected. One thing that I kept thinking is that Aaron Tveit looked kind of old to be Danny. I checked and apparently he's thirty-three. Of course, that is a challenge they had to face. As demanding as this musical is and the fact that so much professionalism is required, there aren't many true teenagers who could hold up under the pressure. If John Travolta goofed up, he could do it over again sixteen times. Grease has grown on me over the years and it was really fun to hear the songs again.

Grease: Live is very good. The soundtrack was pretty good and of course, it wasn't as good as the original but still great. They added a new song though, which Frenchy (Carly Rae Jepson) sang well but was just so out of context, it made no sense. It was like it went into the wrong movie. Also, for us while watching live on television, it glitched out a ton during "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and kept going back and forth from a commercial, "Greased Lightening," and the dance scene. Overall pretty good though. If you enjoyed the original Grease, you should definitely try this version. I also love how Pink sang "Grease is the Word" in this one! The beginning was my favorite part of it.

This was Brilliant! Sure, there were minor glitches but for a LIVE performance it was amazing. Fox has certainly showed NBC how to do a live musical production.Vanessa Hudgens was a stand out as Rizzo. Up until now she has played colorless "Disney Types". As Rizzo she has shown us that she can actually act as well as sing. She was also stunning in the 1950s look.The other stand out was KeKe Palmer as Marty. This former child star has developed into an amazing adult actress. I predict great success for her.Much less successful was the casting of 32 year old Aaron Tveit and 27 year old Julianne Hough as Danny and Sandy. They were both far too old and far too "world weary" to convincingly play High School students. And, why was it necessary for the audience to be continually reminded that Sandy was from Salt Lake City? Was this some sort of odd little Mormon in joke?The biggest screw up of the evening was the token casting of Boys II Men as the "Teen Angel" character. These gentlemen have their own niche in the music industry, but they certainly cannot convincingly deliver a 1950s Rock and roll song convincingly.