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Infobox Film

name = Grease 2
image = Grease 2.jpg
caption = Theatrical release poster
director = Patricia Birch
producer = Robert Stigwood
Allan Carr
writer = Ken Finkleman
starring = Maxwell Caulfield
Michelle Pfeiffer
Adrian Zmed
Lorna Luft
music = Louis St. Louis
cinematography = Frank Stanley
editing = John F. Burnett
distributor = Paramount Pictures
released = June 11, 1982
runtime = 115 minutes
country = United States
language = English
budget = $13,200,000
gross = $15,171,476
preceded_by = ''Grease''
succeeded_by = ''Grease 3''
''Grease 2'' is a 1982 American musical film that is the sequel to ''Grease'', which is based upon the musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. ''Grease 2'' was produced by Allan Carr and Robert Stigwood, and directed and choreographed by Patricia Birch, who also choreographed the first film. Once again set at the fictional Rydell High School, it takes place two years after the original film, with an almost entirely new cast, led by actors Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer. Though Didi Conn's character of Frenchy is the only main character from the original movie to reprise her role in the sequel, Eddie Deezen's Eugene, Eve Arden's Principal McGee, and Dody Goodman's Blanche Hodel, among few others, reprise their supporting roles as well. The film reversed the social characteristics of the first film's romantic leads (played by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John). In the sequel, the boy (Caulfield) was the bookish milquetoast, while the girl (Pfeiffer) was the hip greaser groupie, the leader of the ''Pink Ladies''.

Plot

It is 1961, two years after the original Grease gang were Rydell High seniors in the first movie and a new academic year is just beginning at Rydell High School (''Back To School Again''). The Pink Ladies are now led by the beautiful Stephanie Zinone (Michelle Pfeiffer), who feels she has "outgrown" her relationship with the arrogant leader of the The T-Birds, Johnny Nogerelli (Adrian Zmed) during summer break. A new arrival comes in the form of clean-cut English student Michael Carrington (Maxwell Caulfield), the cousin of Sandy Olsson (the character played by Olivia Newton-John in ''Grease''). Michael quickly becomes smitten with Stephanie, despite the gentle warning of the sole remaining lead character from the first film, Frenchy (Didi Conn), who observes that she will not date him since he is not a T-Bird. At the local bowling alley, a competitive game (''Score Tonight'') turns sour due to the animosity between Johnny and Stephanie. Johnny flirts with Stephanie's friend and fellow Pink Lady, Paulette Rebchuck (Lorna Luft), to make Stephanie jealous, and she retaliates by kissing the next man who walks in the door, which happens to be Michael. Bemused by this unexpected kiss, Michael attempts to ask her out the next day at an audition for the school talent show, but discovers that she has a very specific vision of her ideal man (''Cool Rider''). He realizes that he will only win her affection if he turns himself into a cool rider, and begins saving up for a motorcycle by selling completed homework assignments to the academically-challenged T-Birds. Michael buys the bike, fixes it up and spends all his spare time after school learning to ride it. Following an unusual, largely interactive biology lesson (''Reproduction'') given by new substitute teacher Mr. Stuart (Tab Hunter), a gang of rival motorcyclists called the Cycle Lords (led by Balmudo, who also played "Leo" in the first film and also a rival of the T-Birds) surprise the T-Birds at the bowling alley. Before the fight starts, a lone anonymous biker, wearing all black clothing as well as a motorcycle helmet and dark goggles to cover his face, appears and defeats the enemy gang, performing impressive stunts and leaping over police cars to disappear into the night (''Who's That Guy?''). Stephanie is instantly fascinated with the stranger. The following day at school, Frenchy tells Michael about that motorcycle chase and a strange guy swept Zinone out of her bobby socks. Michael confides in Frenchy he's the one and just as he was about to tell Frenchy his game plan, Zinone and the other Pink Ladies come into the room. That's when Michael attempts to tell Stephanie that he is the "Cool Rider", but becomes tongue-tied. Frenchy notices a patch on Rhonda's nose. She is also wearing glasses similar to the ones Marty form the first film wore. In a short comic scene, one of the T-Birds, Louis DiMucci (Peter Frechette), attempts to trick his sweetheart Sharon (Maureen Teefy) into losing her virginity to him by taking her to Michael's uncle's fallout shelter and faking a nuclear explosion (''Let's Do It For Our Country''), but the plan backfires and she runs off in horror. Stephanie is surprised again by the Cool Rider while working at her after school job at her family's gas station, and they enjoy a romantic twilight motorcycle ride. Just as Michael is about to reveal his identity, they are interrupted by the arrival of the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies; before Michael disappears again, he tells Stephanie that he will see her at the talent show, in which the Pink Ladies and T-Birds are performing. Stephanie wonders how the Cool Rider knew about the talent show but fails to deduce it could be a Rydell High School student since only they knew about the show. Johnny, enraged by Stephanie's new romance, threatens to fight the "Cool Rider" if he sees him with her again, and the group has an argument about who belongs to whom. The Pink Ladies exit haughtily, although this has little effect on the T-Birds' innate self-confidence (''Prowlin'''). At school, Stephanie's poor grades in English lead her to accept Michael's offer of help with her essay on Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'', but although she has warmed to him considerably, he still cannot reveal his double identity. By this point, Stephanie has begun to realize that, despite his shy, bookworm outward appearance, Michael is a kind, good hearted guy who genuinely cares about her. She then slowly begins to discover that she has similar feelings for him, and starts to reciprocate his crush. These events are not lost on their mutual acquaintances, and Johnny, upon seeing them together in a discussion, demands that Stephanie quit the Pink Ladies for his "rep" and subtly threatens that the T-Birds will beat up Michael if she refuses ("Don't damage the rep we won't damage new friends."). Stephanie is visibly upset by this but refuses to quit the Pink Ladies. Although still head over heels for the Cool Rider, interactions with Michael reveal that she has become smitten with him as well, as Michael ponders with himself over his continuing charade he puts out to Stephanie. (''Charades''). The night of the talent show, Stephanie and the Cool Rider meet outside the school, but are instantly ambushed by the T-Birds who pursue Michael in a motorcycle chase, with Stephanie and the Pink Ladies following in a car. They pursue him to a closed-off construction site which conceals a deadly drop, and the biker's absence suggests that he has perished below, leaving Stephanie inconsolable thinking her Cool Rider is dead although both the T Birds & Pink Ladies try to convince her that he must have survived and made the jump and will show up again. The T-Birds tie up the competition for their act in the boys locker room and drench them in the showers to ensure their winning. During the Pink Ladies' number (''A Girl For All Seasons''), Stephanie is overcome and stops singing her part and sinks to the stage floor. Oblivious to the audience, she enters a dreamlike fantasy world where she is reunited with her mystery biker in a sort of "biker heaven" backdrop ("(Love Will) Turn Back The Hands Of Time"). As her reverie finishes, it appears she has been singing a solo; she is duly named winner of the contest, and crowned the queen of the upcoming luau, with Johnny hailed as king. The school year ends with the graduation luau the next day (''Rock-A-Hula Luau'') during which Johnny and Stephanie later engage in another argument while being carried onto the pool in a floating throne. The Cycle Lords suddenly appear and begin to destroy the celebration, but are stopped by the emergence of the Cool Rider, much to the surprise of Stephanie. After roundly defeating the Cycle Lords and leaping over the pool on his motorcycle, he finally reveals himself to all in attendance to be Michael. After his initial shock, Johnny offers him a T-Bird jacket and welcomes him into the gang, and Stephanie finally accepts that she can have "two for the price of one" – a Cool Rider and a Shakespeare. All of the couples pair off (Michael/Stephanie, Johnny/Paulette, Lewis/Sharon, Davey/Dolores & Rhonda/Goose), happily at graduation as the class of 1961 sings ("We'll Be Together"). The credits start rolling and just like in the first movie, it's in the style of a yearbook.

Production

''Grease 2'' was intended to be the second film (and first sequel) in a proposed ''Grease'' franchise of four motion pictures and a television series (The third and fourth films were to take place in the sixties and during the counter culture era.); however, the projects were quickly scrapped due to the underwhelming box office performance of this picture. The sequel's working title, ''Son of Grease'', was changed to the more straightforward current title by producers, much to the annoyance of leading man Maxwell Caulfield, who unsuccessfully tried to have it reinstated. Filming took place entirely on location in California, working to a 58-day shooting schedule. According to director Patricia Birch, the script was still incomplete when filming commenced. Sequences that were filmed but cut during post-production include scenes in which Frenchy (Didi Conn) helps Michael become a motorcycle rider, and a sequence at the end of the film showing Michael and Stephanie flying off into the sky on a motorcycle, most likely a visual homage to Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) flying off in a car during the closing credits of the first film.

Cast

Maxwell Caulfield as Michael Carrington, a British exchange student, a T-Bird-to-be, and the protagonist of the film. 22-year-old Caulfield had already made his Broadway début with roles in ''The Elephant Man'' (opposite Juliet Mills, a British actress 18 years his senior whom he subsequently married) and ''Entertaining Mr. Sloane''. Having seen his performance in the latter play, Allan Carr offered Caulfield the role of Michael over thousands of applicants.
Michelle Pfeiffer as Stephanie Zinone, the arrogant leader of the Pink Ladies. With only a few television roles and small film appearances under her belt, 23-year-old Pfeiffer was an unknown actress when she attended the cattle call audition for the role of Stephanie. Other better-known actresses up for the part included Lisa Hartman, Kristy McNichol and Andrea McArdle, and singer Pat Benatar. Despite the disappointing reception of the film, Pfeiffer's meteoric rise to the Hollywood A-list began the following year when she played Elvira Hancock in ''Scarface''. ;The Pink Ladies
Lorna Luft as Paulette Rebchuck (Luft is one of the daughters of Judy Garland of ''The Wizard of Oz'' fame).
Maureen Teefy as Sharon Cooper (''Grease 2'' was not the only musical film Teefy would star in. ''Fame'' in 1980 was her first one.
Alison Price as Rhonda Ritter
Pamela Segall as Dolores Rebchuck
Didi Conn as Frenchy (from the first ''Grease'') ;The T-Birds
Adrian Zmed as Johnny Nogerelli
Peter Frechette as Louis DiMucci
Christopher McDonald as Goose McKenzie
Leif Green as Davey Jaworski ;Supporting
Didi Conn as Frenchy (from the first ''Grease'')
Eddie Deezen as Eugene Felsnic
Jean and Liz Sagal as Sorority girls
Matt Lattanzi as Brad
Eve Arden as Principal McGee. (This was Arden's final film appearance before retiring from a five-decade career on stage and screen. She died 8 years later).
Sid Caesar as Coach Calhoun
Dody Goodman as Blanche Hodel
Tab Hunter as Mr. Stuart
Connie Stevens as Miss Yvette Mason (Annette Funicello was cast in the role, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. )
Dennis C. Stewart as Leo Balmudo. (Also appeared in the previous ''Grease'' film).
Dick Patterson as Mr. Spears. (Patterson apperared in the first movie as Mr. Rudie).

Musical numbers

# "Back to School Again" – Cast and The Four Tops # "Score Tonight" – Cast # "Brad" – Sorority girls # "Cool Rider" – Stephanie # "Reproduction" - Mr. Stuart and Cast # "Who's That Guy?" – Michael, T-Birds, Pink Ladies, Cycle Lords, and Cast # "Do It for Our Country" – Louis and Sharon (Sharon's part is absent from the soundtrack) # "Prowlin'" – Johnny and T-Birds # "Charades" – Michael # "Girl for All Seasons" – Paulette, Stephanie, Rhonda, and Sharon # "Love Will Turn Back the Hands of Time" – Stephanie and Michael # "Rock-a-Hula Luau (Summer Is Coming)" – Cast # "We'll Be Together" – Michael, Stephanie, Johnny, Paulette, and Cast Also featured as background music at the bowling alley... # "Our Day Will Come" - Ruby & The Romantics (Anachronism error: ''Grease 2'' takes place in 1961, "Our Day Will Come" did not come out until 1963) # "Rebel Walk" - Duane Eddy (This was the B-side of his biggest hit "Because They're Young") Also featured at the very beginning... # "Alma Mater" - Instrumental (this song was played at the very start when Mcgee and Blanche put up the 1961 Rydell flag)

Reception

The sequel was a huge disappointment, but still was a minor box office success taking just over $15 million on a $13 million budget (which was more than double than the first film). Some sources say that it was overshadowed by '''' and ''Tootsie'', which were the major 1982 smashes. The film currently has a rating of 19% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 18 critics' reviews. The film's one possible contribution was in shoring up what had been a flagging bowling interest in the US. Prior to the film's release, the past-time had been in considerable decline from its noted "golden age" of 1840-1960 with hundreds of alleys closing across the country . The number "Score Tonight" has been credited as almost singlehandedly reviving interest in the sport leading possibly to the second "golden age" of bowling of the late 1980s-present. It is largely unknown, even by bowling enthusiasts, that the film is responsible for this renaissance the sport has enjoyed. Michelle Pfeiffer received some positive notice for her first major role. The ''New York Times'' review cited her performance as the "one improvement" on the original film: "Miss Pfeiffer is as gorgeous as any cover girl, and she has a sullen quality that's more fitting to a ''Grease'' character than Miss Newton-John's sunniness was." ''Variety'' wrote that she was "all anyone could ask for in the looks department, and she fills Olivia Newton-John's shoes and tight pants very well." She was nominated for a 1983 Young Artist Award in the category of Best Young Motion Picture Actress.

See also

''Grease''

References

External links

grease 2