The Grasshopper

1970 "The truth behind the glitter. Learned the hard way."
5.7| 1h38m| R| en
Details

A British Columbia teenager dreams of show business but winds up as a call girl in Las Vegas.

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TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film
Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.
Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible
Falconeer "The Grasshopper" is a little-known melodrama in the spirit of "Valley of the Dolls." The similarities between the two films are many. 'Valley' was made in 1968, 'The Grasshooper' in 1970, and both films tell the story of young and vibrant women who find themselves lost in the overwhelming world of show business. However of the two films, this 1970 film starring Jaqueline Bisset is more focused, and more in-depth, as it is telling the tale of one woman, while "Valley of the Dolls," followed at least three different women on their road to oblivion. Christine leaves home at the age of 19 to find excitement, and a better life. She seems to be driven by the terrifying thought that she might end up as an ordinary woman, with a boring life. Chris, wonderfully played by Bisset, wants it all, and she wants it now, before it is too late. She realizes that she has no real talent, and not much to offer besides her beauty, so she plays that card, with expected results. Jumping from man to man, in search of something that even she doesn't quite know what, always believing that she is the smart one, and the one in control. But when she slowly realizes that it is she that is being used, she finds herself a hard and jaded young woman indeed, turning to drugs, and a succession of 'wrong guys'. Because of the films age, and flashy style, "The Grasshopper" holds much camp appeal. But when you bother to look beyond the kitch, you might find a story filled with some pretty important life lessons, for Christine made all the choices that we don't want to make. And most everyone has known a person like this girl, living for the moment, with no thought of next week, until the time comes when it is too late to realize any dreams of success or happiness. This is a glitzy, excessive film, bursting with eye popping late 60's fashion and music. Jaqueline Bisset sports a different hairstyle every 10 minutes, and she is at her most beautiful here. And oddly, this is the film that showcases her acting ability, far more than any of her well known, later films. Featuring a finale that is both outrageous, and surprisingly downbeat at the same time, this one is quite entertaining, and worth a look, if you can track it down.
sol1218 ***SPOILERS*** The movie "The Grasshopper" is just like it's title says with it's star the 25 year-old drop dead gorgeous Jacqueline Bisset, Christine Adams,on grass as well as in bed with a whole batch of men hopping from one to another as she self-destructs in the wild life-style of swinging Las Vegas and L.A. Leaving her hometown Kingman in Canada Christine travels to L.A to live with her banker boyfriend Eddie, Tim O'Kelly. When her car breaks down she get a lift from comic Danny Raymond, Corbett Monica, who instead takes Christine to Las Vegas where he's doing a gig at one of the hotels.This single event in her life sets the stage to what happens to Christine during the entire movie with her getting hooked on the wild life-style of swinging Vegas. Christine leave her boyfriend Eddie and a job at the bank that she had with him in L.A and goes back to Vegas to become a showgirl. Later on she gets involved with this band, the Ice Pack, and one of it's members Jay, Christopher Stone, who turned innocent and pretty Christine on to drugs. Later Christine meets and falls in love with former football super star Tommy Marcott, Jim Brown, who works as a greeter at one of the Vega hotels and the two get married. Things turn sour for the happily married couple when a construction tycoon with mob connections Roosevelt Dekker, Ramon Bieri, makes a move of Christine. Bieri getting Christine in his hotel room to discuss her husband Tommy's career ,yeah right, brutally beats her up when she refuses to go to bed with him; what on earth did Christine expect by being alone with this creep. This gets Tommy real mad and he later rearranges Dekker's face when he chases him down and traps him in a sand trap at a local golf course.Tommy & Christine end up leaving Vegas in fear of mob retaliation and go to L.A where Tommy is offered a high paying job from former football player and friend Marion "Movin Marion" Walters. Having a talk with "Movin Marion" about his new job and playing a game of basketball with him at a local park Tommy is later gunned down by mobster and henchmen Aaron, William H. Bassett, of the Dekker mob; did "Movin Marion" set Tommy up? Christine just falls apart after Tommy's murder and gets heavily involved on to drugs with Jay being her supplier as well as her live-in boyfriend. Christine's luck turns around when, as a call girl, she meets the very wealthy Richard Morgan, Joseph Cotton, who's crazy about her and wants to marry her. Even though Richard offered Christine everything that she longs for, financial security, she turns him down for the creepy violent and drugged out Jay, love is strange isn't it? Jay getting her to sell her body as a streetwalker poor Christine is just about burnt out and useless to that sleazily lowlife when he leaves her and takes whatever money that she had left. Broke alone and dejected Christine come up with an idea that's pure genius who with the help of Elroy, Bill Callaway, a mechanic as well as pilot at the airport where Richard keeps his plane who, like everyone else in the movie, fell for the beautiful Christine. The two skyjack a plane for a ride and sky afternoon riding adventure. Now airborne Elroy with Christine spells out or sky-writes over the friendly and innocent skies of L.A for the whole city to see just what Christine thinks of life as well as those of us watching in the theater or on TV think of the movie "The Grasshopper".
shepardjessica This forgotten (considered exploitation film) almost, partly because Jim Brown (the great football player had a lead) and because Bissett since the mid-60's was eye-candy (not because of her roles in dopey, sexy spoofs), but because she was too pretty and had an English accent, she had a chance of respect like Potsy on HAPPY DAYS. This is a story (which SHOWGIRLS; already "cult classic") which achieved this kind of status for "seemingly" glorifying a beautiful young woman taking advantage of the System. Nobody ever saw this film (even the Frat boys with the J. Bissett poster from The Deep LATER). She was always looked in a very generic way (that's why she teamed with Candice Bergen in that Cukor film) that NO ONE every respected. This is a gritty early 70's film about (I think she's from Canada) just trying to get happy (IN A VERY STRANGE TIME PERIOD), while adjusting to circumstance, without becoming a whore, or a scumbag, or a yuppie, or a cheat. It's a real story! Even if you don't think Ms. Bissett is attractive (I pity you) She could act and this wasn't the only one, but....it was early, although she'd worked in films with Polanski and Audrey Hepburn and used to have a cool boyfriend back then (Michael Sarrazin; he probably cheated on her..who knows?), she made an effort in 1970 and watch her now in Sleepy Time Gal (couple of years ago) and you'll see she was never a "Bimbo" and is very interesting. A 7 out of 10. Best performance = Jacqueline Bissett. Joseph Cotten is also very involved and performs. Try to find this flick!
Interested_Viewer This film may have been dismissed as a showcase for Jacqueline Bisset's beauty when it was initially released, but viewing it thirty-two years later reveals not only that directors should have recognized Bisset's brilliant performance and given her the type of film career which Julia Roberts has had, but also it dared to present the issues of interracial marriage and homosexuality as simple facts of life without any intentional shock value.In a time when films had presented gay and lesbian characters as victims and victimizers, Christine's gay friend Buck (Roger Garrett) is her joyful sidekick who is accepted by his coworkers, at least until a friend's little boy reveals what his mother says when Buck is not around, to which Buck replies with a rebuttal which is sensitive to the child but conveys his true feelings to the mother.Speaking of Julia Roberts, The Grasshopper was written by Garry Marshall, who went on to direct Roberts in Pretty Woman. While Pretty Woman was justly criticized for its message to girls that if they run away to Hollywood and become a hooker they will find the man of their dreams, The Grasshopper is a realistic portrayal of how women who gamble on financial security provided by men can ultimately suffer severe consequences.