Baby It's You (1983)

In 1966 New Jersey, Jill Rosen, a frustrated high schooler, is intrigued by an enigmatic new student known only as the Sheik. Sheik is an Italian whose primary interests are his car, Frank ... See full summary »

Director:

John Sayles

Writers:

Amy Robinson (story), John Sayles (screenplay)

Stars:

Rosanna Arquette, Vincent Spano, Joanna Merlin

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Curtis	...	Jody, High School Girl
Claudia Sherman	...	Beth, High School Girl
Marta Kober	...	Debra
Tracy Pollan	...	Leslie, College Girl
Rachel Dretzin	...	Shelly, College Girl
Susan Derendorf	...	Chris, College Girl

Storyline

In 1966 New Jersey, Jill Rosen, a frustrated high schooler, is intrigued by an enigmatic new student known only as the Sheik. Sheik is an Italian whose primary interests are his car, Frank Sinatra, and Jill. At first she is taken aback by his forwardness, but they soon develop a relationship, much to the chagrin of their parents. Sheik gets expelled from school, and Jill is accepted at an all-girls college. After a fight, Sheik goes to Florida to work in a club lip-synching Sinatra songs. Sheik becomes dissatisfied with his Florida lifestyle and goes back to New Jersey to try to win Jill over.

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Plot Keywords:

new jersey | school | college | student | nerd | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Baby, It's You

Filming Locations:

Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$1,900,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Double Play

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

At the conclusion of the closing credits, "For Dominique" appears. Presumably, the person is Dominique Dunne who passed away in 1982.

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Connections

References Peyton Place (1964)

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Soundtracks

"Surfin' Bird"
Written by John Harris (as J. Harris), Al Frazier (as A. Frazier) and Carl White (as C. White)
Performed by The Trashmen
Courtesy of Dominion Entertainment, Inc.

User Reviews

Probably one of the greatest love stories.

This is definitely one of my favorite romantic films. It's well acted, well written and well directed. Arquette and Spano's chemistry is wonderful. With the people I've talked to who have seen this film, there seems to be something personal that they can relate to the story. It's definitely not a happy movie, but I think that's what makes it really stick with you. It's starts out somewhat like a period romance you might have seen before. About midway through it takes a turn and may seem to lose momentum. This is what sets it apart from other romances. It has this unpredictability to it that some people might find unsatisfying. I have seen it several times and each viewing is fascinating. It is very rare that such a bittersweet marvel of a film comes along and even rarer that it gets the attention it deserves. One of John Sayles' finest.