Customer Reviews

The Users (1978)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie produced by the man who did so many tv series and movies Aaron Spelling stars the beautiful Jaclyn Smith. Miss Smith is part of an all star cast that includes Tony Curtis, Red Buttons, John Forysthe , and Joan Fontaine. I found it to be enjoyable to watch.

I remember watching this movie on tv when it first aired. Subtle sexuality, triple threat actors and actresses in addition to their good looks, high end clothes,cars, Beverly Hills homes, etc. I've been looking for this movie to come out on DVD, and thankfully, I have found it on an excellent VHS tape. Good movies, writers and actors/actresses seem far and few in between these days - thank goodness classics never go out of style.

The copy that I recently received of THE USERS is a mid-1980s VHS on the PRISM label. In quality it is far superior to the STARMAKER tape pictured here. This is from an era when videos each cost $70 or more, and the quality shows. It's sturdily made, twice as heavy in weight than the final flimsy VHSes MGM issued in the early 2000s.

The tape is stored in a durable oversized clamshell case. Although a quarter-century old, my copy plays flawlessly, is recorded in SP mode, has clean HiFi audio and a nice full screen picture. Graphics added by PRISM to a preview of the 1978 Dyan Cannon TV movie LADY OF THE HOUSE are a total hoot. An on-screen label of the film's title looks like it was done with an old camcorder.


An early scene in Aaron Spelling's soapish melodrama has Hollywood superagent Warren Ambrose (Buttons) and a couple of ingenues frolicking in his enormous outdoor jacuzzi. Warren, who's notorious for "interviewing" starlets in his backyard hot tub, is the original dirty old man.

In typical soap opera fashion, men are often shirtless here. There's a number of bedroom scenes, upscale locations (like Beverly Hills clothiers), beautiful people catching rays poolside and situations aimed at appealing to glamor-crazed ladies. The film shows its age in a nightclub scene where Curtis gets hit on by a stud. The music playing is reminscent of the Trammps' "Disco Inferno," which was popularized a year earlier in SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER.

The picture is produced and in-part adapted from Joyce Haber's novel by Dominick Dunne. In the mid-90s the bespectacled Dunne became one of many talking head commentators frequently seen during O.J. Simpson's so-called "Trial of the Century." Maurice Jarre provides an appropriately elegant music score.


Parenthetical number is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.

(6.9) (TV-1978) - Jaclyn Smith/Tony Curtis/Red Buttons/Michelle Phillips/George Hamilton/Joan Fontaine/John Forsythe/Darren McGavin/Carrie Nye/John Pleshette/Army Archerd

This movie is a must for all Jaclyn Smith fans! It's a different character for her, and I think she gave an entrancing performance. I also found this movie to have a great plot, based on Joyce Haber's book also titled The Users, of a woman struggling to survive who climbs her way to the top and also takes Tony Curtis' character with her. Great cast, great movie, definitely worth watching!

This picture hit the screen on October 1 1978 starring the beautiful and gorgeous as she could Jaclyn Smith as Elena Scheider, Tony Curtis as Randy Brent., and Red Buttons as warren Ambrose. The film-opening scene has Randy arguing with director Adam Baker about a part in the current movie that he doesn't like. Enters Elena Scheider who goes into a trailer with Adam baker the movies current producer. Baker wants to pay Elena to seduce Randy in bed in order to make him think that he can do the films next love scene. Mr. Baker invites Elena to a party he's having in Randy's honor and Elena walks in on Mr. Bakers arm. When Mr. Baker is ready to leave Elena isn't and she stays with Randy. Elena and Randy spend a romantic night together, which prompts Elena to walk in Mr. Baker's office and give back the money she was paid. Elena then goes out and watches Randy do the love scene, which he was excellent in. Randy decides that he wants Elena to come back to California with him in the morning. However, Elena has a decision to make because she has to figure out who's going to take care of her crippled mother. However, Elena mother tells her to get on that plane tomorrow and go with Randy because she'll be just fine. After the plane lands in California, Randy takes Elena for a ride through Beverly Hills. The relationship goes to the next level when the couple starts to talk about get married. However, the honeymoon doesn't last long because Randy's picture gets cut from 120 mins to 97 mins and is sold for the TV rights only. Elena agrees to meet with another producer if she wants to get Randy another movie deal before he falls apart. Things turn when Elena comes home and fines Randy with another man of all things and after Elena walks out Randy tries to commit suicide by cutting his wrist. So Randy and Elena are invited to one of the biggest parties in Beverly Hills where Elena meets Reade Jamieson. Elena decides to give a party for one of the most respected producers in California only to be stood up. However, the price that Elena could to help randy could cost her everything. I bought this picture because of Jaclyn Smith and it was well worth it. Jaclyn shined as star she is in her role in this picture. There were a number of scenes that she looked so good in especially the scene in the swimming pool and the scene in the hot tub. You can say all you want about her but as far as I'm concerned she is the best actress of all time. Because of Jaclyn Smith Beauty, I give this movie 10 weasel stars alone.