There are going to be those who say that The Outsiders was the film showed us how solid of an actor Cruise is. In some ways they are right. As the oil stained character of Steve Randle in The Outsiders he seamlessly blends in with the other characters. There is nothing pretty about him and (if you've seen the supplemental features), you know that there is REALLY nothing pretty about this character. As the character of David in Taps, Cruise's buffed out green beret is the epitome of a war machine. However, it would be in Losin' It that the character would show great depth and range. One minute he's all smiles and nervous teen angst. In the next he's spurning the advances of prostitute in a very awkward scene that Cruise the actor seems to be reveling in. In other moments he is enraged and then, just like that, Cruise is all laughs once again. After this he would go on to do Risky Business which really changed everything for him. That film, about a seemingly All-American high school kid, would feature such a layered performance that it literally shot Cruise into another stratosphere. It would lead to Top Gun, The Color of Money, Born on the Fourth of July, and just about everything else that makes Tom Cruise... Tom Cruise. However, Losin' It showed all that and, upon even further examination, you can see shades of Ethan Hunt in the character of Woody.
The Losin' It director would go on to win an Academy Award.
The director of Losin' It is none other than Curtis Hanson. Yes, the man who directed and co-wrote L.A. Confidential would win a best adapted screenplay Oscar for that 1990s noir classic. Hanson would also be nominated for best director for that film as well. These bonafides probably explain why Losin' It neither looks nor feels like your average 80s, teen romp. Even though Losin' It was clearly a low budget affair meant to capitalize on the Porky's audience, like Porky's, Losin' It was both a period piece and more than the sum of its parts. As we've discussed the film had a more than solid cast. It was also aided and abetted by very much looking like the 1965 period in which in was set. Hanson was able to cram a lot onto the screen and that gives viewers a mise en scene that few films like Losin' It have. It was Hanson's surefire direction (and ability to appropriately spend its $7 million dollar budget) that keeps this film moving, and it's why he probably got the production value and performances that he did. In addition to L.A. Confidential, Hanson would also make 8 Mile with Eminem, Wonder Boys and Bad Influence among other films.
In closing, Losin' It is the kind of movie that appears easy to write off. The title, one-sheet and subject matter make this movie seem very disposable. However, like a lot of art, once you start peeling back the layers you see that there is often more nuance than previously thought. Losin' It is filled with great performances, a strong story, and a fair amount of action. To be able to pack all that into this 100 minute road-trip comedy is an achievement all its own. In addition to that, it essentially put Tom Cruise on the map which is literally worth its weight in gold.
All in all, Losin’ It is an odd duck in this pervy subgenre and not entirely what I expected to get (a generic teen romp), when I sat down to watch it. So why did Tom sign up for this particular outing? Because his agent told him to…
“I didn’t know anything about agents and business or scripts. Coming off Taps, I felt like, hey, everyone wants to make a great movie. Everyone who’s doing this loves their work. It’s too hard a line of work to not love it. You work as hard as you can and you get everything and something has to work out. Then I did a film they titled Losin’ It. When I first read it, it was worse than the released film. I had this small agent at the time who said, “Do it, do it.” I worked hard, but it was a terrible time in my life.”
On a visit to “The Rosie O'Donnell Show” in 1996, which was recorded a few days before then, “Jerry Maguire” star Tom Cruise’s own interview, Long took the chance to brag about her work with the rising superstar.
While talking about “Cheers” and how fun it was to film the show, Long brought up the “good kissing” from her co-star Ted Danson and stopped herself to add: “Speaking of good kissing,” taking a pointed look at the sign O’Donnell had in her desk promoting Cruise’s visit.
“Tommy, my boyfriend, he’s coming on the show on Tuesday,” O’Donnell said. “Do you know him?”
Long then explained that she did with a film with Cruise, “it’s called ‘Losin’ It,’ and I was the older woman with which he…lost it,” she said.
O’Donnell was a bit taken aback because she didn’t know of the existence of the 1983 film, which was one of Cruise’s earliest roles on the big screen.
The film, directed by Curtis Hanson, follows a group of young men trying to lose their virginity as they embark on a trip to Tijuana, Mexico.
They end up picking up Long’s character Kathy, a heartbroken older woman who was in town seeking a fast divorce from her husband.
“Did you actually had a sex scene with Mr. Cruise?” O’Donnell wanted to know.
“Oh yes, we actually did, I don’t think it got into the movie, but we had it,” Long joked.
Shelley continued explaining that they kissed a lot while filming that one scene, and when asked if Cruise was a good kisser, she said: “I would rate him very highly.”
Long continued explaining that, her eagerness to share details about how great of a kisser Cruise was almost got her in trouble when, someone who overheard her talking about it, sold the story to the tabloids.
The thing is, they made it seem like Shelley had been rating all of her male co-stars and their kissing abilities. But she said:
“I never rate my lead. They're all wonderful.”
However, when pushed by O’Donnell to know Tom’s rating, Shelley didn’t hesitate before saying:
