Losin' It

For the song, see Losin' It (Rock City song). For the television episode, see Losin' It (The Random Years). For other uses, see Losing It.

Losin' It
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Curtis Hanson
Written by	Bill L. Norton
Produced by	Bryan Gindoff Hannah Hempstead Joel B. Michaels
Starring	Tom Cruise Jackie Earle Haley John Stockwell Shelley Long
Cinematography	Gilbert Taylor
Edited by	Richard Halsey
Music by	Kenneth Wannberg
Production company	Tijuana Productions [1]
Distributed by	Embassy Pictures (United States) Manson International (International) [1]
Release date	April 8, 1983 (1983-04-08) [1]
Running time	100 minutes
Countries	Canada United States
Language	English
Budget	$7 million
Box office	$1.2 million [2]

Losin' It is a 1983 comedy film directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Tom Cruise, Shelley Long, Jackie Earle Haley and John Stockwell. The film follows four teenagers trying to lose their virginity. It was filmed largely in Calexico, California.

Plot

Four teenagers from early 1960s Los Angeles are on their way to Tijuana, Mexico: Dave, Woody, Spider, and Dave's brother Wendell. Dave, Spider, and Woody are there to lose their virginity, while Wendell came along to buy fireworks. They end up picking up a woman named Kathy, who goes with them because she wants a fast divorce from her husband, and they get into a series of hijinks and misadventures south of the border.

Cast

• Tom Cruise as Woody
• Shelley Long as Kathy
• Jackie Earle Haley as Dave
• John Stockwell as "Spider"
• John P. Navin, Jr. as Wendell
• Henry Darrow as Sheriff
• Hector Elias as "Chuey"
• Mario Marcelino as Pablo
• John Valby as Johnny "Hotrocks"
• Rick Rossovich as Marine
• Kale Browne as Larry
• Joe Spinell as US Customs Officer
• Santos Morales as Barker At Tongaley

Reception

Critical response

The film received negative reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 18% of 11 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.3/10. ^[3] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 51 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert criticized the film on their TV program At the Movies . Siskel called it "dreadful" and "predictable." Ebert described the themes of the movie as "sick" for suggesting that young men should seek out prostitutes or older women instead of forming relationships with women their own age. ^[4] Janet Maslin of The New York Times praised Shelley Long for her charm and skill at physical comedy, calling her "the best thing in the movie." But she criticized the screenplay for its excesses and suggested that most of the cast "might fare much better in a different movie." ^[5]

Box office

The film opened in 180 theatres in New York and Los Angeles opening with a "lackluster" $437,257 for the weekend. ^{[6] [2]}

Home media

MGM released Losin' It as a Region 1 DVD on February 6, 2001. Kino Lorber released the film on Blu-ray on March 5, 2019.

References

1. "Losin' It (1983)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . Retrieved 17 August 2023.
2. Losin' It at Box Office Mojo
3. "Losin' It". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved October 19, 2023.
4. "Teenage Sex Movies, 1983". siskelebert.org. January 31, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
5. Maslin, Janet (April 8, 1983). "'LOSIN' IT'". The New York Times . Retrieved October 19, 2023.
6. "'Tootsie' Sashays Back To The Top Of Boxoffice Heap". Variety . April 13, 1983. p. 3.

External links

• Losin' It at the American Film Institute Catalog
• Losin' It at AllMovie
• Losin' It at Box Office Mojo
• Losin' It at IMDb
• Losin' It at Rotten Tomatoes