Entertainment
All The Ways ‘Grease: Live!’ Was Different From The Movie, Because They Weren’t All Bad
Grease is officially the word. The highly anticipated Grease: Live! aired Sunday on Fox, and the reaction was pretty positive. Within minutes of Jessie J's live opening performance, Twitter was abuzz with positive reviews and plenty of praise. Of course, die-hard Grease fans were quick to point out all the ways Grease: Live! was different from the movie version of Grease. But not all of the differences were bad.
The original film starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta as the iconic teen couple Sandy and Danny premiered in 1978, seven years following the debut of the Broadway musical of the same name. More than 35 years later, the story about a high school couple still strikes a chord with men and women around the country (and possibly the world). And now, thanks to Fox's live production, the story of high school sweethearts reached a whole new audience.
Of course, the main difference between the film and live version was made apparent before Sunday. Directors Thomas Kail and Alex Rudzinski made an effort to diversify the cast, in contrast to the mostly white group featured in the '70s version. Kudos to them! And this wasn't the only positive difference between Fox's live version and the original movie.
1Sandy Isn't From Australia
In the film, Sandy hailed from the Land Down Under (though, that was mostly because of Newton-John's accent). But it's probably better that the live version's Sandy transferred from Utah. I'm not saying Hough couldn't manage a convincing Australian accent, but she had enough to do in Grease: Live! without worrying about that.
2Sandy's Last Name Is Different
In the movie, viewers met Sandy Olsson. In Fox's version, they met Sandy Young. Not a huge difference, but still.
3Patty Simcox Got More Air Time
And it was rightfully deserved. The straight-A cheerleader was portrayed by Broadway star Elle McLemore, who is known for her spunky personality.
4Cheerleader Tryouts Were A Thing
And we're not complaining. It was great to see Hough and McLemore show off their dancing skills.
6The Victory Bell Was Stolen
It's worth noting, however, that this was featured in the Broadway version.
7Marty Sang "Freddy My Love"
And killed it! In the film's version, the ode to Freddy wasn't sung by any of the Pink Ladies. Rather, it was played on a jukebox at the diner.
8Rizzo Cleaned Up Her Language
In the film, Rizzo uses a certain Italian curse word when singing "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee." But, since this is Fox, she had to say "be cool," instead.
9"Greased Lightning" Wasn't As Dirty
Though Aaron Tveit's pelvic thrusting and the backup dancer's moves weren't totally PG, the lyrics to "Greased Lightning" were much more family friendly. Instead of getting their rocks off and making chicks cream in a p*ssy wagon, the T-birds are just making out and making chick scream in a dragon wagon.
10"Those Magic Changes" Was Sung By A T-Bird
In the film, Doody is more of a background character. But he got to shine in Fox's version, singing"Those Magic Changes," which was originally a jukebox number.
11Sandy Didn't Order "The Same" As Danny
Rather than getting Danny's burger, fries, and shake, Sandy stuck to her soda. Let's hope it wasn't because of societal pressure.
12No One Comments On Jan's Weight
Rather than calling Jan fat, like in the film version, one of the T-Birds refers to her as weird. Granted, there's still a bit of food-shaming, but baby steps!
13Frenchie Had A New Song
When the beauty school dropout is alone in the diner, she belts out “All I Need Is An Angel," an original song that was developed just for Fox's live version.
14Sandy Was Camera Shy
In the film version, Sandy ditched the dance when Doody took her away and Danny started dancing with Cha-Cha. In Fox's rendition, it seems like it was because she got camera shy. What a shame!
15There Was No "Blue Moon"
Understandable, but still a bummer.
16Sandy Wasn't Allowed To Be At The Dance
Could this be a shoutout to Hough's role in Footloose?
17Eugene Helps The T-Birds With Greased Lightning
Looks like the T-Birds don't know everything about mechanics.
18Sandy Doesn't Confront Patty About Rizzo
In the movie, many girls bash Rizzo after hearing she's pregnant — and no one sticks up for her. But in Fox's version, Sandy stuck up for the leader of the Pink Ladies and it was girl power at its finest.
19Jan's Famous Line Got Cut
"See a penny pick it up. All day long you'll have good luck." This mantra is one of Jan's most famous lines, and also the reason Kenickie can’t drive in the drag race.
20Eugene Became A T-Bird
After leading the T-Birds to victory, Eugene earned himself a spot in the club. Congrats buddy!
21No Flying Car
You can only do so much on live TV. I'll give Fox a pass on this one.
