The First Time

I haven't seen this movie but I was an extra in it. I worked for about two weeks on the film but it was rated R and I was only about 10 at the time I am trying to find a copy of it so that i may finally see it after all these years . If you know how I can get a copy please let me know . I think that it would be good for a laugh to look back and see it. I never did know the story line you guys have kind of informed me I only knew that the title was The Beginners Three and then I think changed to The First Time and I didn't know about these other titles. From the reviews it sounds quite mixed but it would be great to see it myself.

Thanks Shirley

I first saw this movie when it came out in 1969. I was 16 at the time and totally identified with the boys in the movie (emotions, thoughts, etc.) In fact I so liked the movie at the time that I continued to remember it and most of the scenes over the next 30 years. I could not remember the title but remembered the name of Wes Stern and so I kind of watched for it off and on over the years to see if it would appear on TV.

Anyway I watched it for the first time in 30 years this morning on Showtime. What a treat and what a rush of memories. A very sweet coming of age movie indeed. I guess some things never change.

I saw this movie late one night and could not believe how god-awful it was. It seemed to be paid for by the Niagra Falls Tourist Board (take a drink every time Tommy mentions the "Maid of the Mist" tour) and played like Wally, the Beav and Eddie Haskell go to a whore house.

Three big-talking teenage boys from New York, randy with bravado but no sexual experience, cross the Canadian border at Niagara Falls in search of prostitutes; instead, they chance upon a lovely young British woman they assume is a prostitute but who isn't. Amiable piffle from former-Disney director James Neilson and screenwriters Jo Heims and Roger Smith (who also co-produced) isn't very bright or witty, but has a certain shuffling charm--it's also not the last time Jacqueline Bisset would find herself between the sheets with a younger man. The boys' collective misunderstanding of the distressed girl's background isn't belabored...and when she realizes they thought she was for hire, she doesn't make a fuss, either. Still, this trio of would-be studs is rather colorless--one of the boys leers a lot while the other two look petrified--though heavy-lidded Wes Stern has a nicely low-keyed personality and Bisset seems genuinely touched by his youthful confusion. Neilson waits until nearly the end to turn the lights down low; in the meantime, we are treated to a tour of the Falls and downtown Ontario, which is fine for those seeking a nostalgic trip back in time rather than a movie with a substantial plot. ** from ****

This is a wonderful film, charming, light-hearted, modest, wise, touching and witty. It may be the best film about sex. The whole movie works: acting, directing, music, camera. The critics are wrong. One called it "embarrassingly sentimental". Don't believe them. It's a true classic. You'll like yourself and the human race more after enjoying it. You may shed a tear of gratitude at the end, and a tear of regret that they don't make them like this anymore. Every young person should see it.