Paramount+’s Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies isn’t going to sit well with Grease devotees, but it is entertaining enough to be enjoyed by a new generation of viewers. Check out the details in my parents guide review.
Paramount+’s Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies released its first two episodes on streaming services yesterday, April 6, 2023. The movie stars Marisa Davila (Jane), Cheyenne Isabel Wells (Olivia), Ari Notartomaso (Cynthia), Jackie Hoffman (Principal McGee), Tricia Fukuhara (Nancy), Madison Thompson (Susan), Chris McNally (M. Daniels), and Jonathan Nieves (Richie). While the film brings back the iconic Pink Ladies from the original 1978 film, it takes on a whole new story. Check out the details in my parents guide review.
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Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Parents Guide
In Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies: This musical series takes place four years before the events of “Grease;” four fed-up outcasts dare to have fun on their own terms, sparking a moral panic that will change Rydell High forever.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Age Rating Parents Guide
Let’s take a look at what parents need to know about the age rating of the movie before letting their younger children watch Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.
Language: Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies contains mild language with snippets of profanity. The strongest words viewers will come across include: sl*t, a**, tramp, virgin, etc.
Mature Content: The biggest concern for parents is the sexual content, references, and nudity. The characters are shown constantly making out, kissing, heavy petting, and groping the breasts and upper thigh. Females are accused of sleeping around, called tramps,” sluts,” and other names. There are also a couple of scenes that show nude bottoms, sort of recreating the scene from the original Grease movie, where members of the T-Birds moon the camera. There are also scenes that show the high schoolers consuming alcohol.
Age Rating of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies: Paramount Pictures’s Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies has a PG rating for nudity and sexual references, and the parents’ advisory recommends it for an adult audience, younger adults, and teens 13 and older. The suggestion of parental guidance or an adult guardian is highly suggested for young kids (or older kids) under 13 years of age for this PG-rated motion picture. The minimum age recommendation is 13 years old; it is not suitable for young children. Young viewers are not recommended to view this film.
**THIS REVIEW WAS GIVEN AFTER THE AUTHOR REVIEWED THE FIRST TWO EPISODES FROM THE SERIES.
Overall Thoughts
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is a prequel to the hit musical and subsequent seminal 1978 movie Grease. Why it took forty-five years and why there is a current significant interest in revising it is anyone’s guess. I would imagine it is because there seems to be a recent musical trend in Hollywood, be it a series or movie.
Our story begins four years prior to the events set in the original and explores the lives of a group of teenage girls attempting to navigate the treacherous waters of mid-1950’s American high school. Bullying and rumors set the scene for these misfits, and we get to know exactly how they feel about it in song after song. It is a time when everyone is just trying to fit in, of course, and even the popular ones don’t seem to have a firm grasp on it all either. Jane Facciano (Marisa Davila) had a great time with the popular jock Buddy (Jason Schmidt) during the summer, but now that school is back in session, he has to present a different front. Soon, rumors spread that they “went all the way,” and everyone thought Jane was a slut. If Jane’s last name sounds familiar to fans of the original, it is because it is the same last name as the mousy Frenchy. Jane is her older sister, and in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Frenchy is still in junior high. Most of the characters in this prequel are new, but the same spirit that permeated the original is still alive and well at Rydell High. For example, the T-Birds are already an established gang, and one of Jane’s friends is the sister of their leader.
There is a very noticeable difference between this series and the movie, and that is the influence of modern times on the subject matter and presentation, especially on the musical numbers. Sure, it is still set at the appropriate time, with the sets and clothes to match, but there is a marked increase in sexual overtones and promiscuity. The singing and dancing are definitely not retro, choosing hip-hop and bass-heavy musical numbers over their doo-wop counterparts. This is not the first time a musical has chosen to do this, and it seems they are trending in this direction in an attempt to snag newer and younger fans, but something about it just doesn’t jibe when it is a period piece. Even Jane’s friends usher in conversations of sexual ambiguity that never would have transpired in the original. It is understandable why these issues are important in today’s world, but when presented as transpiring almost 70 years ago, it just doesn’t add up. It has created a new genre, almost like a mash-up musical, where the creators play fast and loose, blending multiple eras and musical styles, and then set them in whatever location and time they choose.
I have no doubt that this series will be a hit with newcomers; the songs and dance numbers are catchy and very well done. Even some of the older fans will enjoy the new spins they put on some of the classic numbers, although they may take issue with some of the aforementioned. The acting of the entire cast is on par with a show of this type, but no one seems to stand out above the rest. Overall, it is a story of female empowerment, and fitting in with acceptable stereotypes isn’t for everyone. These are themes that transcend time and should be lauded with aplomb.
