The Grasshopper (1970)

"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.

Well-scrubbed Canadian girl leaves home for Los Angeles, but gets sidetracked and ends up working as a topless dancer in Las Vegas. Both a cynical and sentimental take on the old she-went-down-the-wrong-path scenario. If it were more of a character study instead of a bad example picture it may have been more interesting and memorable. Still, there are insightful scenes and Jacqueline Bisset does a fine job in the difficult lead (she's playing a woman who is never allowed to be happy, so it's to Bisset's credit that we never tire of her). Directed by future sitcom maven Jerry Paris, who actually does wonders with the spotty screenplay (by comedy writers Jerry Belson and Garry Marshall, from the book "The Passing of Evil" by Mark McShane). Penny Marshall has a tiny role as a groupie, and Jim Brown is terrific in an unusual love-interest role. **1/2 from ****

***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".

This badly-done movie comes across as a 1970s porn film--without porn! It has the same 1-dimensional, slimy characters that populated porn films of that era, and it is very hard to believe that this was actually a Hollywood production. The story is insulting to adults--everything is predictable and trite. Jacqueline Bisset is gorgeous, but she does not get to show the front of her body off, despite a bunch of teasing scenes that suggest she might.