GREASE 2 (1982)

Sometimes box-office flops have more life in them than instant hits. The sequel to Grease (1978) received mixed reviews with some claiming it as just a retread of the original without the star power of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Yet it survived as a cult favorite on the strength of director-choreographer Patricia Birch’s well-staged but unconventional musical numbers, including salutes to bowling and luaus, and a star-making performance from Michelle Pfeiffer in her first lead. It’s basically a gender-flipped retread of the original, with Pfeiffer as the it-girl, head of the Pink Ladies, and Maxwell Caulfield as a brainy British exchange student (the cousin of Newton-John’s Sandy) who must change his image if he wants to win her heart. Didi Conn, Eve Arden and Sid Caesar were among those reprising roles from the first film while Tab Hunter and Connie Stevens were on hand to up the nostalgia factor.

d: Patricia Birch, 115m, Digital

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.