Grease "more focused and involving" than Hairspray?

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 1:17pm

Here is a funny review of Hairspray. Positive? Yes. Twisted reasoning?

As a musical, "Hairspray," whether on Broadway or on the screen, does not compare favorably to
"Grease," with which it can be most closely compared. "Grease," which deals with rebellious
high-school kids during the 1950's, has a wide variety of dances and songs and a more focused and
involving story. The need of adolescents to break out of the culture of the 20th Century's most uptight
decade gave "Grease" added punch, and what's more since the filmed version of "Hairspray" was
awarded a PG rating, but avoids some of the more risque scenes and forbidden fruits of likewise-rated
"Grease," such as scenes featuring kids drinking beer, smoking cigarettes, petting and in the case of
one character, Roger, named Rump by the other boys, "mooning"–or showing off his bare backside in
unlikely places. "Grease" also has more vivid and varied songs such as "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee,"
"We Go Together," "Beauty School Dropout," and throws in a scene in which the character Rizzo
confides in her b.f. that her period is late. No-one in the filmed version of "Hairspray" can surpass the
top performers in Paramount's 1988 movie adaptation of "Grease," namely John Travolta (when he
looked like John Travolta), Olivia Newton-John, and Stockard Channing.

Oh yea, Look at Me I'm Sandra Dee and We Go Together are SO deep and vivid? Please...what a fool. What does it take to get your reviews on RT anyway?

I am surprised he did not mention Grease 2!

by the way, Hairspray is at 100% at RT. Only 6 reviews, but still...
review

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 1:21pm

Wait a minute. Wait a gol-dang rootin tootin minute.

There's still such a thing as COMPUSERVE?

Posted: 7/15/07 at 2:54pm

As someone who was there, I recall Grease getting roundly panned when the film was released. It is only in hindsight that it was beloved.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 3:14pm

I can understand him thinking that dropping out of beauty school is a bigger issue than letting the Negroes INTO beauty school.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 4:15pm

Grease still isn't beloved, by me. I hated it when I saw the original Broadway show, and hated it when I saw the film. It never comes off like the 50s, but like a 70s verson of the 50s, like Happy Days. Can't speak for the musical film version of Hairspray, but the original film plays like it was back then. Very true to the time period.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 5:08pm

Now there are 9 critic reviews on rottentomatoes.com and it is still at 100% . . . WOOT!