spinaned
A big thanks to Mr Sayles for not letting the studio ruin this movie and shame on me for taking 25 years to see it. This is a wonderful and unique look at growing up, particularly that two year period where one is a senior in high school and then the year after they graduate. For many it is probably the most important two year period of their life. Sayles takes his time examining both the before and after periods with new friends, experiences, college, first jobs, first love, sex, etc. It is all here and unless things have changed more than I know, these are all universal issues that are still relevant. The fact that the story takes place in a very specific time and place doesn't matter much although the music, cars and other props are as carefully chosen as any movie I've seen.It's sad that Hollywood rarely examines this most defining period in our lives. I was stumped trying to think of other movies that showed this transition. The closest I thought of was Bagdonovich's 'The Last Picture Show' and perhaps Crowe's 'Say Anything' but in both cases it was over a shorter period(just a summer in the latter). I finally hit upon the reason for this; and that is although it is a great game-plan for making a quality movie it is a poor one for making a popular movie. Unfortunately the studios have learned this lesson all too well.
Pepper Anne
'Baby, It's You' is not ideal material for anyone, let alone an actress like Roseanna Arquette, who can do good comedy (and light romantic comedy) when given the opportunity. This is the story of a simple high school girl (Arquette) who starts dating a quasi-James Dean type (Vincent Spano as the "Shiek") during the early 60s. Neither characters are very interesting, especially the Shiek who seems all too arrogant and altogether strange, anyways to enjoy any sort of romance that forms between the two. The story takes us from high school, when the couple meet and date and have some sort of wavering relationship (made entirely difficult by a control-freak like Shiek), and then on into the post-high school years where Jill Rosen (Arquette) is either unhappy or uncomfortable at her college and the Shiek is a lip-synching performer in Miami night clubs singing to an enthused crowd of senior citizens.The movie is hardly funny, and only moderately entertaining. There is little or no story, and with the characters being so wishy-washy (I hate that term), there's really nothing to hold your interest. Plus, the Shiek just comes off like such a jerk, it's a wonder why a girl like Jill Rosen would even waste her time with him. Even if sappy 80s romance comedies are what you might be in the mood for, this is not one that I'd recommend watching.
MovieAddict2016
"Baby, It's You" is a love story about a young woman named Jill (Rosanna Arquette), who grows up in New Jersey during the sixties and meets a troubled and troublesome swindler named Sheik (Vincent Spano). They go out together during highschool but once college days come, Jill forgets Sheik and he becomes a Frank Sinatra impersonator for a fancy restaurant in Miami. But after he is booted from the joint and drives all the way back to New Jersey to be with her, she admits she no longer has feelings for him.Movies like this can be a bit hard to review because on a technical level they are worthless. Sometimes, though, the film itself is fun to watch--I am a sucker for old eighties comedies, the decade of low-budget comedies that disappeared into a vault somewhere and air on television at three o'clock in the morning. "Baby, It's You," however, isn't even that fun to watch, mainly because it goes nowhere for its two-hour running time. Sure, it kept my interest, and there's no doubt that it is a pretty intriguing film, but it's been done before in a better fashion--and all in all, "Baby, It's You" likes to repeat itself. A lot.Things don't move nearly as quickly as they should. The setup for the movie takes forever--and then we find out the setup wasn't a setup at all. I left wondering, What IS the point of this movie? The core message is pretty simple--a lovebird couple seperate when college comes around and one of them loses the attraction for the other. But "Baby, It's You" doesn't do this like it should--it takes side routes into too many subplots. For example, at first Jill hates Sheik. Then she goes out with him. Then she breaks up with him. Then he kidnaps her, holds a gun to her head and tells her to say she's sorry. Then they're back together. Then Sheik commits a robbery and almost gets caught. Then they seperate. Then...What is the point? Why the stupid subplots? Why would Jill love a ruthless punk who stalks and kidnaps her? This is a depressing movie, not because of what happens, but simply because it goes nowhere. "Baby, It's You" is strangely intriguing, but as a film it should have gone through a much greater thought process before they decided to put it on the big screen. After all, there is a reason that it is one of the most unknown films of all time.I did find some things in "Baby, It's You" interesting, such as how Sheik corrupts Jill, but then when he turns around to be with her again, she acts like he did early on in the film. For example: Sheik is a rich playboy criminal in the beginning who cheats on Jill and so on and so forth. Jill doesn't want to "do it" with Sheik. But after college, she turns into the promiscuous one and he turns into the moral one. She becomes a drunk, depressed soul. Is that the point of the movie? That hanging around the wrong crowd can rub off on you? Or is the point that people who fall in love aren't always in love? Or is it just meant to be a depressing love story? Who cares. And I'm not stating that two-word sentence as a question.2.5/5 stars.John Ulmer
leonardcochese
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.