BABY IT'S YOU Blu-ray Review: Tangy Coming of Age Tale

Powered by a brilliant John Sayles script and an exceptional Rosanna Arquette performance, the film casually overturns coming-of-age romantic conventions.

Baby It's You (1983)
The film is now available on Blu-ray , direct from Fun City Editions.

Imagine this: young people making a movie about young people.

Making a movie with $3 million budget was an amazing opportunity for young writer John Sayles, who broke through with his directorial debut, The Return of the Secaucus Seven (1980), followed by Lianna (1983), both of which I saw in Los Angeles theaters at the time. (It was only later that I realized he'd written Piranha, Alligator, The Howling, and other genre movies I loved, and that he was already a published novelist.) Somehow, I missed Baby It's You during its brief theatrical run, and, due to music rights issues, it didn't appear on home video for seven years, and, somehow, it has eluded me in the years since.

Thus, watching Baby It's You (1983) on a splendid Blu-ray from Fun City Editions was a dream come true; it exceeded my expectations.

I'm well aware of the mixed emotions that Sayles stirs in viewers today, with some considering him to be more of an essayist who preaches, rather than a filmmaker who convinces. There is no denying, however, that Baby It's You is a pitch-perfect smashing of conventions, and slots neatly into his early career as an independent filmmaker.

As related in the Blu-ray special features, the project was brought to him by producers Amy Robinson and Griffin Dunne, who had enjoyed success with their first project, Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979), and would go on to make After Hours (1985) with Martin Scorsese, along with a number of this film's creative talents. Robinson related her own experiences during her final year of high school and her freshman year at college. Even though Sayles was a few years younger, he immediately related to the Trenton, New Jersey, setting and her experiences, which inspired him to write his original screenplay, which incorporated some of her stories and characters, while vividly fictionalizing the rest of the story.

Rosanna Arquette stars as Jill Rosen, a bright and promising daughter of a medical doctor and his supportive wife. She comes from a financially secure and happy household; they're not rich, but in 1966 Trenton, New Jersey, neither do have to worry about money. Jill and her three friends are struck by the appearance of a tall young man who wears a sharp suit to school and calls himself The Sheik (Vincent Spano).

Their relationship starts quickly and develops slowly, as their different backgrounds and clashing personalities supply fuel for the fire between them that ignites. Although he initially appears to be the stronger character, The Sheik's insecurities are fleshed out, along with his many imperfections.

The movie belongs to Jill, though, and Rosanna Arquette is magnificent. She first captures her character's girl-ish impulses, as though she's even younger than her years, and then shows Jill slowly coming into her own, better able to control her own agency and to decide for herself how she wants to live her life. Arquette does this in a very subtle way, from her appearance to the way that she moves her body to the gestures she uses.

The scene that jumps out is one that was added during shooting in order to give additional time to another actor that impressed Sayles and the producers: young Matthew Modine, in his film debut. Even though it's meant to give Modine more screen time, it's Arquette who plays Jill Rosen as she gets increasingly drunk with a persuasive alcoholic grace that is utterly transfixing.

That's the most noticeable scene, but, truly, it's her performance as a whole that bolsters the entire film, which is wonderfully authentic, a sweet goodbye to whatever innocence remains.

The special features include a very fast-talking audio commentary by Bill Ackerman, which I have yet to listen to in its entirety. The five separate video interviews are excellent: John Sayles (33:02), Amy Robinson and Griffin Dunne (29:57), Rosanna Arquette (9:55), Vincent Spano (19:49), and Matthew Modine (8:04) all speak glowingly about the making of the film, as well as its value in their individual filmographies. Together, they provide a complete picture, with very little overlap in the points that they cover.

Fun City Editions' excellent-looking transfer brings the beauty of 35mm celluloid to life, as shot by the great cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. This edition also includes an extensive image gallery, including posters and publicity shots in color and in black and white. In Special Features, click on the FCE logo for an Easter Egg. (It's worth clicking.)

The printed booklet included with the disc features an excellent essay by Gavin Smith on the film itself that places it within its time and within Sayles' career. Another essay by Caroline Madden is also excellent, focusing on the soundtrack that the producers assembled, including the very fitting, if anachronistic, songs by Bruce Springsteen.