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 Norton (screenplay) (as B.W.L. Norton), Bill Norton (story) (as B.W.L. Norton)

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:

1960s | tijuana mexico | year 1965 | looking at oneself in a mirror | teen sex comedy | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tijuana

Filming Locations:

Calexico, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$437,257, 10 April 1983, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,246,141

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tiberius Film Productions, Tijuana Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie's screenwriter Bill Norton had previously penned such genre related pictures as More American Graffiti (1979) and How to Succeed with Girls (1964).

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Goofs

When the guys are driving away from the market towards Mexico, and Kathy asks about the snack items they'd just stolen from her store, a bar code can be seen on one of the chip bags. Bar codes weren't introduced on retail products until the 1970s.

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Quotes

Marine: Hey! The MP's will have us out of here. And when they do, you're dead.
Spider: Says who, dick-breath?

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Connections

Referenced in TruInside: Fast Times at Ridgemont High (2016)

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Soundtracks

Dreamin'
by Barry De Vorzon, Ted Ellis
Performed by Johnny Burnette

User Reviews

I like this movie!

I thought that this movie was very funny the first time I saw it ten years ago, and I still do today. This is a movie that is in the same genre as Porky's or Revenge of the Nerds. True fact, Tom Cruise said in a Playboy interview that he did this movie because of Jackie Earle Haley. Since Haley had been in Breaking Away, Cruise figured that this movie would be just as good. It didn't quite work out the way he expected, at least not right away. Cruise fan or not, it's worth a look. For me, Jackie pretty much steals every scene he's in. Anytime I watch this movie, I have to laugh at Tom Cruise because he ended up becoming one of the biggest stars in the movie world, and he started out in this. If you REALLY want to see Cruise in another light, check out Endless Love, with Brooke Shields. It's his first movie, and though he's in it for less than a minute, it's worth a look, just like Losin' It. Check it out!