Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Grease: Live!

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Thrilling live musical is fun, has iffy messages galore.

Movie NR 2016 132 minutes
Grease: Live! Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 13+

Vanessa should’ve stuck to Gabriella

I love High School Musical better than Grease and when I saw Vanessa Hudgens in Grease Live I wanted to scream. Her version of Rizzo was absolutely AWFUL. She should’ve just stuck to being Gabriella in High School Musical.
age 12+

Great music, suggestive dancing

My three teens were looking forward to watching this movie because they love the actors in it. The music was great, along with the acting but my teens were surprised at how suggestive the whole movie was. We didn't do a lot of research into the storyline ahead of time, which was our mistake. The dancing that goes along with the songs is very suggestive, with my son finally asking if we could just turn the movie off. My girls were completely oblivious to a lot of it. A lot of sexual references throughout the movie, though some kids may not recognize them. A scene with a couple making out in the back of a car, another scene of a couple at a drive-in where the boy tries to reach for the girl's breast. Terms such as "eat me", comments about "jugs", comments about "getting up", and a reference to how "fast" a girl is compared to her boyfriend. Also a group of boys talking about how long it takes "twice in 15 minutes". Even I was a little surprised at some of the things that were said. Make your decision based on your own children.

This title has:

Too much sex

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (5 ):

With thrilling tracking and crane shots that wander backstage and then zoom out into street scenes, this production makes the most of well-known songs and drama (despite it antiquated messages). The first notice that this production isn't going to just be a flat "turn on the camera and perform a play" affair comes in the musical's opening, when a Steadicam follows rock star Jessie J as she sings the theme song -- all around the sets, through dressing rooms, past scenery and crew members, and then right on out to the street, where cast members frolic in the rain with umbrellas. It's a bracing opening, serving notice that this is one production that means to make the most of stage magic. Fans of the 1970s movie will also note that songs formerly found only on the movie's soundtrack pop up (the slumber-party rendition of "Freddy My Love" is a highlight), while other songs are gone (no more "Hopelessly Devoted"). Others are curiously edited; references to a car being a "pussy wagon" are gone, yet Rizzo (Vanessa Hudgens) still refers to a boy "flogging his log."

It all adds up to a show that's only slightly less racy than the movie and still carrying the controversial message that sex is a struggle between men and women that leave women shamed and damaged when they "give in." Still, for viewers old enough to understand and discard the sexist setup, the songs, dances, and characters are a lot of fun, making this a good bet for whole-family viewing for tweens and up.

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate