La cavalletta

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.

Although this film has quite a bit going for it, it ultimately feels like one of those 1970's ABC movies of the week turned up a notch. Perhaps that television feel is a result of director Jerry Paris and coproducer Gary Marshall's direct involvement with the project. Paris is best known for the Dick Van Dyke show, but not many may know he was a prolific television director. And Marshall was successful in both film and television.

What saves this film, in my opinion, is the acting. Bisset does a great job, and the supporting cast are all believable. However, what probably looked good on paper as a final script draft does not necessarily translate successfully to the screen. It's not erotic enough to be considered soft porn/exploitive and too melodramatic to be labeled a hard drama.

It's a delight to see Joseph Cotten, but be warned that despite his co-billing, he has minimal screen time. He looks terrific. He either aged more gracefully than I ever will, or he had the best face lift in Hollywood history.

There are some fun tidbits. For those who are fans of Vicki Lawrence from the Carol Burnett Show, you'll catch her singing "Used To Be", one of the songs featured in the film. Marshall's wife Penny has a bit part. The location shooting in Vegas is definitely sort of its own time capsule.

I agree with other reviewers that his movie mimics Valley Of The Dolls. If you are not afraid to admit you liked that film, you may very well like this one. Otherwise, not really recommended.

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.