Grease

After watching a movie with your children or students, we encourage parents and teachers to look for education opportunities to teach with movies. Here are a few discussion topics that can help with lesson plans or teaching in the home.

When Sandy first describes her summer relationship with Danny to her friends, she tells them, "He never laid a hand" on her. In response one girl concludes, "He’s a creep", while Sandy maintains, "he was a gentleman." Why do the two girls have such a different perspective?

Rizzo’s character teases Sandy by saying the pure and wholesome girl is just like Sandra Dee. (Popular during the late 50s and early 60s, the young movie star was famous for playing a sweet teenager in the film Gidget, and as Debbie Reynolds’ replacement in the popular Tammy franchise. A portion of Sandra Dee’s life is depicted in the movie Beyond the Sea, the dramatized story of the life of her husband Bobby Darin.) Why is being a "nice" girl considered so disdainful in many of the movies aimed at teen audiences?

In today’s movie making industry, teens are seldom shown smoking, although implied sexual activity and drinking are still very common. Why do you think portrayals of cigarette use have declined over the years? How does the current view of what is "politically correct" affect what we see in films and other media?