The sequel to Grease and closely modeled after it, Grease 2 takes place in 1961 during the John F. Kennedy administration at Rydell High School. Some of the same faculty members are still there such as Miss McGee (Eve Arden), Blanche (Dody Goodman) and Coach Calhoun (Sid Caesar) along with some new faculty members such as Miss Mason (Connie Stevens), Mr. Stuart (Tab Hunter) and Mr. Spears (Dick Patterson). The main difference between Grease and Grease 2 is the students. Since the original Pink Ladies and T-Birds graduated in the last picture, Grease 2 contains an all new cast of students except for one, Frenchy (Didi Conn), who failed her senior year. The main plot in this musical is that a new student Michael (Maxwell Caulfield) falls in love with Pink Lady Stephanie (Michelle Pfeiffer). She is off-limits until he can prove himself as a leather-clad biker. Michael then buys a motorcycle, a helmet and becomes a mysterious stranger, appearing to Stephanie at different places such as the gas station where she works. In the end, he sweeps her off her feet.
Grease 2 was considered to be a typical sequel that would do terrible at the box office and not live up to the name it was carrying. It starred two actors, Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield, who were unknowns in 1982 playing sexual reversal roles from the original. Pfeiffer played the Travolta role and Caulfield played the English version of the Newton-John role. This was the first criticism of the movie from reviews and the general public when it was released. With a sequel, the audience feels more comfortable watching the same characters from the first movie in the second one. Another problem or dislike of the film is that it runs out of story. The main point of the story is how Michael delays revealing himself to Stephanie until the climax of the movie. The filmmakers didn't give Caulfield enough to do, like dancing, which is one of the most important aspects of the Grease movies.
"But what undoubtedly counts are the musical numbers. Tunes were penned by various hands and most of them are well conceived and reasonably clever." (Variety, T. McCarthy, June 9, 1982). The songs are what gives the movie its energy and try to highlight the points of the film when the storyline was drifting. There is a raising ensemble number called "Back to School to start the movie off with a bang, a enlivened bowling alley number called "Score Tonight" and a dirty-minded number called "Reproduction" that turns a biology lesson into an outbreak about adolescent desire. Director and choreographer, Patricia Birch, found the most interesting places to stage the musical numbers such as a bomb shelter ("Let's Do it For Our Country") and a bowling alley ("Score Tonight") and uses some sharp, rapid, short sequences that gives liveliness to most of the dances.
Despite all the bad reviews, I found this musical as enjoyable as Grease. The film's original goal was to appeal to the pre-teens and teenagers, not to the adults. The storyline was simpler and lighter than Grease and the songs were more upbeat and creative. I was not discouraged from seeing this film because Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta were not in it. I usually have an open mind about sequels and consider seeing any one that is made, no matter if it's different.
