Losin' It (1983)

Set in 1965, four rowdy teenage guys travel to Tijuana, Mexico for a night of partying when they are joined by a heartbroken housewife who is in town seeking a quick divorce.

Director:

Curtis Hanson

Writers:

Bill L. Norton (screenplay), Bill L. Norton (story),

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Jackie Earle Haley, John Stockwell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Cruise	...	Woody
Jackie Earle Haley	...	Dave
John Stockwell	...	Spider
John P. Navin Jr.	...	Wendell
Shelley Long	...	Kathy
Henry Darrow	...	Sheriff
Hector Elias	...	Chuey
Daniel Faraldo	...	Taxi Driver #1
Mario Marcelino	...	Pablo
Rick Rossovich	...	Marine
James Victor	...	Lawyer
Kale Browne	...	Larry
Enrique Castillo	...	Taxi Driver #2
Cornelio Hernandez	...	Big Guy in Jail
Hector Morales	...	Watch Seller

Storyline

Teen sex comedy set in 1965 which follows four Los Angeles school friends, Woody, Dave, Spider, Wendell and the series of misadventures they get into when they travel south of the border to Tijuana, Mexico for a night of cruisin', causing trouble, and to settle a pact to lose their virginity before the night is over, while a young woman, named Kathy, accompanies them for different reasons: to arrange a quick divorce from her husband.

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Plot Keywords:

teen sex comedy | teenager | group shower | male in a shower | cult film | 

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Taglines:

They were boozin' it, brusin' it and cruisin' it, but mostly they were . . .

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Genres:

Action | Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

American Teenagers

Filming Locations:

Calexico, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tiberius Film Productions, Tijuana Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dave's young brother Wendell's (John P. Navin Jr.) nickname was "The Wimp".

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Goofs

Kathy sets the bottle of tequila down before she and Woody walk down the hill to the dance. However, after dancing, they sit down at a table and Kathy picks up the same bottle of tequila.

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Quotes

Dave: Just get one thing straight, Wimp. We may be stuck with you, but that doesn't mean you're going to ruin our trip just because you're a little brat kid! We're going to be as crude as we want, as filthy as we want, and as gross as we want! You understand that, Wimp?
Wendell: My name's Wendell, and why should today be any different?

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Hey Little Girl"
Performed by Dee Clark (1964)

User Reviews

Forget Tom Cruise. The whole movie is Jackie Earle Haley.

Losin' It is a pretty funny roadtrip movie, thanks to the comedic antics of Jackie Earle Haley ('Breaking Away') who plays Dave, an oversexed kid desperate from some action during a weekend in Mexico. He and his buddies, Woody (Tom Cruise) clean cut shy kid, headlong Spider (the gorgeous John Stockwell) and Dave's clever brother Wendell (John P. Navin Jr.), embark on a wild roadtrip to lust after girls and underaged booze in 1965.

Each of the guys has their own experiences with love and mischief. Woody spends most of the time with Kathy (Shelly Long), a flamboyant older woman who hitched a ride with the boys to get a quickie divorce. Spider, the ego, abandons the group and frequently gets in trouble with a corrupt sheriff. Wendell, who came along for lots of black market goodies, spends the weekend trying to save his brother's ass, since Dave's misconception that the town is full of easy women gets him in heavy trouble with the locals.

It's a pretty funny movie that I'm surprised hasn't been given more notoriety among 80s fans. Tom Cruise and John Stockwell played their typical characters, but the stars of this movie, were really Jackie Earle Haley and John Navin. They were perfect.