The Grasshopper

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.

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.

This is undoubtedly the best performance of Jacqueline Bisset's career. Unfortunately, it's in an over-the-top trash-fest that is so audaciously (and probably tongue-in-cheek) cheesy that it's pretty damn good. I saw this thing about a hundred times working as a movie usher in the early 70s, and practically any other film would have become dull after that many viewings -- not "The Grasshopper"!

The plot is completely implausible, but in a nutshell it has Jackie starting out as a fresh-faced farmgirl and, after being used and betrayed by gigolo boyfriends, horny old businessmen and the Mob, ending up an embittered prostitute. And all within the space of one year! The final skywriting scene would have become a classic had an audience of any size actually seen this film. Definitely worth a look!

Jacqueline Bisset is a girl from a small town in Canada. She's on her way to Los Angeles to make something of herself when she finds herself i Las Vegas. There she becomes a showgirl and gradually falls into the pill-popping demimonde, with occasional efforts to lead a more normal existence.

It all seems superficial as directed by Jerry Paris and brightly lit by cameraman Sam Leavitt, but here's an example when that seemingly annoying contradiction actually works. Vegas is beautiful, the showgirls are beautiful, the costumes they wear are beautiful, it's the people's souls that are ugly. With Jim Brown and Joseph Cotten.

I saw the Grasshopper as an 11 year old back in 1969. All I really remembered was the skywriting scene at the end. Now, some 30 years later, I just bought the DVD. Boy, what a depressing movie. Of course the acting was impressive, and it was fun to see Vegas of the 1960s. However, seeing how a young soul is corrupted by life is not a pleasant thing to watch. Somewhat shocking for its time, the Grasshopper seems to have predicted the future for the youth of America....sex, drugs, and rock and roll. When there's no love, no dreams, or hopes, just a good time, the end results are self-destruction and depression. A bleak film with a symbolic ending, the Grasshopper is worth a look, but it leaves the viewer less then entertained.