The First Time

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 ****

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.

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 caught this on a late-night cable showing having never heard of let alone seen before. I logged onto IMDb afterward just to see how old Bissett was at the time. She looks great in this movie although she really doesn't say or do a whole much. All in all she's very quiet, very English, very reserved -- and surprisingly at the age of 24 or whatever, still very much the 'older more famous' Bisset we're all familiar with.

The movie itself goes by without much of anything happening, yet you're still compelled to watch. Someone mentioned the simple street scenes and I totally agree, it's actually very interesting to watch Bisset lead the boys around town, to simply see them just walking around in 1969 with no music or dialog.

The 'plot' is basically the 3 boys pick up Bisset who they think is a hooker with the intention of losing their virginity by pulling a sex train on her (so far no one has mentioned the 'yuck' factor, but that's all I could think about). They finally get her back to their hotel room, persuade her into taking her clothes off and getting in bed, and after some discussion in the hall, they each go in and one by one make their move (or non-move) on her, then come out later and lie about it because by then Bisset's actually peacefully asleep from exhaustion. So Stern goes in thinking he getting 'sloppy thirds', yet doesn't cringe at all at the thought that he is about to roll around in his two other friends' DNA surely left all over her. Sorry, not romantic or cute, just gross. But Bisset, now awake and having been just dumped via phone call by some mysterious 'boyfriend', has pity on Stern. She now knows their true motives with her but since Stern is more sincere and less a blow hard than his friends, in a moment of weakness she actually has sex with him, on a dinky mattress with the transom window open so people all over the hotel should have heard them (as HE should have heard his friends supposedly doing it).

Bisset never really gets naked but looks really good in her underwear and she's actually very good in this role. It's an interesting time-capsule of a movie but that's about it.

The funniest unintentional part of the movie was when they finally get on the "Maid of the Mist" at Niagra Falls. It's obviously a studio set and the crew is clearly simply using a rain machine to blow water on the faces of the cast to simulate the mist, and although she's acting 'having fun', you can tell Bisset hates the rain on her face!

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.