The University of Idaho Argonaut

A lot of women wanted to be Sandy, Olivia Newton-John’s character from “Grease,” as a little girl.
She’s so sweet and pretty and she gets the cute guy in the end, but, in reality, Sandy is just another girl who gave up her dreams and who she is for a man.

Those who are really hip, rather than wanting to sing with John Travolta, wanted to roller skate their asses off to the tune of an ‘80s rock/big band mix.
Oh yes, the cult hit “Xanadu” is just about the best Newton-John has to offer. She is so great in this film, and that’s not sarcasm. Everything about her is beautiful and graceful, and she has some pretty rockin’ outfits.
Also starring hunky “Warriors” actor Michael Beck as Sonny Malone and Gene Kelly as Sonny’s new business partner Danny

McGuire “Xanadu” combines a musical with the awesomeness of roller-skating.
Kelly brings age and respectability to the film. He’s not just a great dancer, he surprises the audience by throwing on some roller skates, but also gives them what they want when it comes to old-fashioned Hollywood style.

Newton-John stars as Kira, a muse sent to Earth to inspire Sonny to create a roller skating club named “Xanadu.” When he teams up with Danny his ‘80s pop culture style combines beautifully with Danny’s big band vision for the club. The two literally fuse before the viewer’s eyes in an awesome song and dance number featuring a song by Electric Light Orchestra.
The movie is so fun, silly and, though it sounds stupid, magical that there is now a Broadway play of the same name. OK, maybe the makers of the play don’t take it as seriously as a crazy “Xanadu” fan, but they do love it enough to have created a play poking some fun at it.

This column is often used to condone the viewing of bad, campy films, but though “Xanadu” is campy, it really deserves a better reputation than what it has. It’s just as good as films like “Dirty Dancing,” or “Flashdance.”
In fact, this film is better. It doesn’t just have dancing or singing — it has roller-skating, too. And that’s what really counts.