Baby It's You (1983)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

John Sayles

Writers:

Amy Robinson (story)
John Sayles (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 March 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

There's the first one. There's the right one. And there's the one you never forget.

Plot:

In 1966 New Jersey, Jill Rosen, a frustrated high schooler, is intrigued by an enigmatic new student known only as the Sheik...

Plot Keywords:

College | New Jersey | Student | High School | Teen

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Rosanna Arquette	...	Jill Rosen
Vincent Spano	...	Albert 'Sheik' Capadilupo
Joanna Merlin	...	Mrs. Rosen
Jack Davidson	...	Dr. Rosen
Nick Ferrari	...	Mr. Capadilupo
Dolores Messina	...	Mrs. Capadilupo
Leora Dana	...	Miss Vernon, Teacher
Bill Raymond	...	Mr. Ripeppi, Teacher (as William Joseph Raymond)
Sam McMurray	...	Mr. McManus, Teacher
Liane Alexandra Curtis	...	Jody, High School Girl (as Liane Curtis)
Claudia Sherman	...	Beth, High School Girl
Marta Kober	...	Debra, High School Girl
Tracy Pollan	...	Leslie, College Girl
Rachel Dretzin	...	Shelly, College Girl
Susan Derendorf	...	Chris, College Girl

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 | Iceland:L | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Double Play

Trivia:

This was the first theatrical film ever to feature the music of Bruce Springsteen.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Sheik and Jill leave on their trip to the New Jersey shore, they cross a large bridge that has the slogan "Trenton Makes - The World Takes" on it. This bridge actually takes you from Trenton into Morrisville, Pennsylvania.

Quotes:

Albert 'Sheik' Capadilupo: When we were in high school...
Jill Rosen: [shouts] We're not in high school any more.

Movie Connections:

References "Peyton Place" (1964)

Soundtrack:

Strangers In The Night

Very Moving Film

As the title says, this film is very moving, emotionally. So moving in fact, that it stayed with me for days after I saw it for the first time. Personally, I was initially sucked into this movie by the soundtrack. Some of the best songs from the mid-1960's are included in this picture. However, the soundtrack was not the only compelling aspect. This movie tended to be a lot more realistic than your average romantic film.

This movie really allows the audience to ride the emotional roller-coaster right along with Jill (Rosanna Arquette) and Sheik (Vincent Spano), as they experience the peaks and valleys of first love. On top of that, the characters are very easy to relate to because we've all been there at one time or another with our own relationships. Although the movie is set in 1966-67, the underlying theme of the trials and tribulations of first love is something every generation can identify with.

Although the storyline tends to slightly lose some steam after graduation, it gives the audience a chance to see life after high school for both Jill and Sheik, and how both of them deal with post-graduation life both together and separately. Even this part of movie (which I refer to as the second half) had some unexpected twists in store for the audience.

Rosanna Arquette and Vincent Spano both turn in wonderful performances as the two lead characters. I honestly couldn't imagine the film with different actors playing those roles. The only thing I never understood was why the movie itself didn't get the push it so richly deserved, when it was initially released. It could have been a real sleeper hit, had it been promoted properly. However, that shouldn't take away from the overall quality of this film.