RISKY BUSINESS is the smart and sexy 1983 teen comedy that brought intelligence to the genre and made a bonafide movie star out of Tom Cruise. Cruise is utterly winning as Joel Goodson, a high school senior excited about the prospect of having the house to himself when his parents go out of town for a few days; but things go from bad to worse when Joel crosses paths with a nubile prostitute (Rebecca DeMornay). This surprise hit brought an element of sophistication that was absent from a lot of the teen comedies that were populating the screen in the 1980's. This movie boasts a smart screenplay, imaginative direction, a memorable musical score, and on-target performances from Cruise, DeMornay, Curtis Armstrong, Joe Pantoliano (memorable as a slimy pimp), Bronson Pinchot, and Janet Carroll. Tom's sexy underwear dance to "Old Time Rock and Roll" has become Hollywood folklore. An instant classic upon release that still holds up over 20 years later.
229 Reviews
Every once in a while you just have to say, "what the heck?"
Eclectic-Boogaloo11 July 2021
So good. Even better than I remembered. Cruise really came into his own in the third act. A real star making role, obviously, and Rebecca DeMornay was stupendous. So hot. How she didn't become a star after this is anyone's guess. Booger. Balki. Phil Collins. Tangerine Dream - love on a train.
At the risk of sounding like an old man, they simply don't make em like this anymore.
At the risk of sounding like an old man, they simply don't make em like this anymore.
Wish fulfillment?
cardsrock21 July 2020
Starring in the role that made him a household name, Tom Cruise leads this classic 80s film that ended up being a lot darker and profound than I expected. This isn't your typical teen sex comedy from the 80s. There's a lot of pointed commentary on capitalism, teen fantasy, and coming of age. Rebecca De Mornay is perfectly cast as the alluring, enigmatic call girl Cruise becomes entwined with and is instantly memorable in the role. Risky Business has a lot more to say than you might think and is worth checking out some 40 years later.
"Money may not buy happiness, but it will buy the things that will Make you happy"
mercuryix-121 December 2006
There are too many reviews of Risky Business for mine to have any relevance as a movie review. However, this movie is for me a time capsule of the era I saw it in, and a photograph of the future to come in American culture.
I saw this movie when I was 22 in a tiny college theater with a date. I remember several disconnected things about it: The movie was much more interesting than my date was, the music by Tangerine Dream was hypnotic and fit the tone of the film, which struck me as being more depressing in places than funny (although there are some funny moments in it), and it gave me a glimpse into a world that I thought was fictional. It turned out I hadn't experienced the world it was presenting yet. When Cruise asks his friends what they plan to do with their lives, one's answer is very simple and focused: "Make money". Another friend adds: "Make a LOT of money".
It turns out the movie was precognizant of the next ten to twenty years of American culture; the absolute obsession with making money through any means necessary, legally or illegally, regardless of consequences to yourself or others. Then taking that money and buying the things that will make you happy: a porsche, a big house, and most importantly, a hot babe in your bed, that will only be there as long as the money is. Internally discovered happiness? A quaint notion created by the poor who can't afford the toys that validate your existence.
I am sure that the filmmaker would be the first to say that the movie parodies the hollowness of the "American Dream" of acquiring wealth to buy creature comforts, but too much of the time it feels like it celebrates them. At the end, the hooker stays Cruise's girlfriend only as long as he continues to make her money; she even says "I'll be your girlfriend...for a while". Real loyalty there. But then, she is a hooker, and is being honest. She in fact is presented as the only person in the film that is not a hypocrite. She has no illusions that money & sex make the American world go 'round, and doesn't pretend herself to be otherwise; unlike Cruise and the rest of his friends. In the end however, she is still hollow, the values the kids pursue are hollow (they are only after sex, not love), and the movie feels as deep and solid as a glossy magazine ad for a Lexus.
Even over the obsession of greed, however, the film illustrates the complete alienation of the modern American teenage male: alone, isolated, judged by his peers with the kind of car his dad lets him drive, his clothes, and whether he can get laid or not. The emphasis is on sex, not relationship. There is no rite of passage into adulthood, no guidance from parents who more often than not are as distant from their children as the cardboard cutout parents in this film.
In short, as depressing as this film is when you step back from it, it paints a frighteningly accurate portrait of how superficial and narrow a world, yet directionless (except for accumulating superficial wealth) a young boy's world can be. There are no values taught in this film, because there are none available as examples. And that is the environment too many kids are subject to. That is what was so disturbing to me about the film at the time I saw it, yet it took 20 years to understand why (as I was, like most kids my age, in the same vacuous and bankrupt culture this kid was in at the time).
There are 300% more suicides committed by 14 year old boys in America than any other age group or category. This movie explains why.
Seven stars, not for humor, but for photographing the beginning of an era that lasts until this day. The message from Enron, WorldCom, Martha Stewart and others for American kids will be: Don't get caught. A message which is slowly becoming the only "moral direction" left in American culture.
I saw this movie when I was 22 in a tiny college theater with a date. I remember several disconnected things about it: The movie was much more interesting than my date was, the music by Tangerine Dream was hypnotic and fit the tone of the film, which struck me as being more depressing in places than funny (although there are some funny moments in it), and it gave me a glimpse into a world that I thought was fictional. It turned out I hadn't experienced the world it was presenting yet. When Cruise asks his friends what they plan to do with their lives, one's answer is very simple and focused: "Make money". Another friend adds: "Make a LOT of money".
It turns out the movie was precognizant of the next ten to twenty years of American culture; the absolute obsession with making money through any means necessary, legally or illegally, regardless of consequences to yourself or others. Then taking that money and buying the things that will make you happy: a porsche, a big house, and most importantly, a hot babe in your bed, that will only be there as long as the money is. Internally discovered happiness? A quaint notion created by the poor who can't afford the toys that validate your existence.
I am sure that the filmmaker would be the first to say that the movie parodies the hollowness of the "American Dream" of acquiring wealth to buy creature comforts, but too much of the time it feels like it celebrates them. At the end, the hooker stays Cruise's girlfriend only as long as he continues to make her money; she even says "I'll be your girlfriend...for a while". Real loyalty there. But then, she is a hooker, and is being honest. She in fact is presented as the only person in the film that is not a hypocrite. She has no illusions that money & sex make the American world go 'round, and doesn't pretend herself to be otherwise; unlike Cruise and the rest of his friends. In the end however, she is still hollow, the values the kids pursue are hollow (they are only after sex, not love), and the movie feels as deep and solid as a glossy magazine ad for a Lexus.
Even over the obsession of greed, however, the film illustrates the complete alienation of the modern American teenage male: alone, isolated, judged by his peers with the kind of car his dad lets him drive, his clothes, and whether he can get laid or not. The emphasis is on sex, not relationship. There is no rite of passage into adulthood, no guidance from parents who more often than not are as distant from their children as the cardboard cutout parents in this film.
In short, as depressing as this film is when you step back from it, it paints a frighteningly accurate portrait of how superficial and narrow a world, yet directionless (except for accumulating superficial wealth) a young boy's world can be. There are no values taught in this film, because there are none available as examples. And that is the environment too many kids are subject to. That is what was so disturbing to me about the film at the time I saw it, yet it took 20 years to understand why (as I was, like most kids my age, in the same vacuous and bankrupt culture this kid was in at the time).
There are 300% more suicides committed by 14 year old boys in America than any other age group or category. This movie explains why.
Seven stars, not for humor, but for photographing the beginning of an era that lasts until this day. The message from Enron, WorldCom, Martha Stewart and others for American kids will be: Don't get caught. A message which is slowly becoming the only "moral direction" left in American culture.
She's In Product, He's In Sales
bkoganbing11 November 2008
Risky Business and All The Right Moves are the two films that launched Tom Cruise's career as brat pack film star. Unlike so many of his contemporaries from the Eighties, he's proved to have staying power and will no doubt continue to do so.
All The Right Moves established Cruise as a dramatic actor, but Risky Business is a fun comedy about a hormone driven teenager who when the folks go away from his Chicago suburban home and he's left to play, he gets himself in all kinds of problems. First dialing up call girl, Rebecca DeMornay and then not having enough coin of the realm to pay her. Then getting mom's treasured glass egg stolen. And then getting the family car driven into Lake Michigan.
But Cruise and DeMornay, who is having trouble with her pimp Joe Pantoliano, hit on the brilliant idea that there's a market out there for his group of eager overachievers. And Tom's house becomes quite the swinging brothel.
Risky Business turns out to be pretty funny business. Best scene in the film involves Tom with Princeton interviewer Richard Mazur. You've got to love the way this boy gets into the Ivy League. Second best scene involves Tom and the family car as it plunges into the lake and then gets hoisted out.
Tom's definitely proved to have staying power in show business. I can see his character in Risky Business growing up to be Jerry Maguire.
All The Right Moves established Cruise as a dramatic actor, but Risky Business is a fun comedy about a hormone driven teenager who when the folks go away from his Chicago suburban home and he's left to play, he gets himself in all kinds of problems. First dialing up call girl, Rebecca DeMornay and then not having enough coin of the realm to pay her. Then getting mom's treasured glass egg stolen. And then getting the family car driven into Lake Michigan.
But Cruise and DeMornay, who is having trouble with her pimp Joe Pantoliano, hit on the brilliant idea that there's a market out there for his group of eager overachievers. And Tom's house becomes quite the swinging brothel.
Risky Business turns out to be pretty funny business. Best scene in the film involves Tom with Princeton interviewer Richard Mazur. You've got to love the way this boy gets into the Ivy League. Second best scene involves Tom and the family car as it plunges into the lake and then gets hoisted out.
Tom's definitely proved to have staying power in show business. I can see his character in Risky Business growing up to be Jerry Maguire.
Risky Business
jboothmillard19 September 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I saw the most memorable single scene on this film borrowed for an episode of South Park, and I had a vague idea of the film's premise, so I thought I might as well try it. Basically Joel Goodson (Golden Globe nominated Tom Cruise) has the (suburban Chicago) house to himself, because his parents (Nicholas Pryor and Janet Carroll) are going on vacation, as well as a Porsche. One night his friend Miles (Curtis Armstrong) contacts a call girl named "Jackie", and it turns out it's a transvestite (Jurassic Park III's Bruce A. Young), but he does give Joel a contact number for a female call girl, Lana (Rebecca De Mornay). After spending one night with Joel, she asks for $300, she agrees to wait for him to get it, but when he gets back, she's gone, along with his mother's expensive expensive Steuben glass egg. Joel does find her again, and she agrees to give the egg back, as long as she can stay with him, and get away from pimp Guido (Joe Pantoliano). Originally Joel rejected the idea of inviting many of his friends over the house to pay for sex with Lana and many of her fellow call girls, but when his Porsche rolls into Lake Michigan, and getting a short suspension from school, he and Lana arrange a large party, the house becomes a brothel for a night. At that night, he forgot a Princeton interviewer, Rutherford (Richard Masur) was coming over to evaluate him, and quite a few interruptions occur. The evening was a success, but Joel wakes up to find everything in his house (furniture, ornaments, appliances) are gone, and he has to buy it all back from Guido before his parents get home. In the end, the only trouble Joel got into was with his mother and that glass egg (it has a crack), and he was accepted into Princeton, and Lana wants to keep seeing him. Also starring Bronson Pinchot as Barry, Shera Danese as Vicki and Raphael Sbarge as Glenn. This is a good comedy film, with some unusual scenes, and of course, the most memorable scene is when celebrates having the house to himself when he dances to Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" (the scene South Park borrowed), which was number 100 on 100 Years, 100 Songs. It was number 51 on The 100 Greatest Sexy Moments for Joel's first night with Lana. Very good!
There is no business like the ho business...
p-stepien24 September 2012
In a rich Chicago suburban neighbourhood Joel Goodson (Tom Cruise) strives to fulfil his parents' Princeton goal, enlisting into an entrepreneur competition in order to better his resume. Coming-of-age comes about when his parents leave on a two week vacation, having him to cope for himself. After being hyped up by his friend Miles (Curtis Armstrong), Joel decides to invite an exclusive call-girl Lana (Rebecca De Mornay). After a fiery night Joel turns out to lack enough money to pay for the service, which soon leads to the situation to spiral out of control...
Still charming and entertaining with an absolutely volcanic De Mornay igniting the screen, "Risky Business" does however lack the timeless commentary of "The Graduate", while loses in wit and development to the quasi-remake "The Girl Next Door". Basically just another teen-movie with style to share, straight-forward, not flashy, but extremely effective. The main strengths still lie in the more artistic, creative sequences, like a brilliantly executed train sex scene. Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay captivate throughout making it a still likable, but by no means meaningful movie.
Still charming and entertaining with an absolutely volcanic De Mornay igniting the screen, "Risky Business" does however lack the timeless commentary of "The Graduate", while loses in wit and development to the quasi-remake "The Girl Next Door". Basically just another teen-movie with style to share, straight-forward, not flashy, but extremely effective. The main strengths still lie in the more artistic, creative sequences, like a brilliantly executed train sex scene. Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay captivate throughout making it a still likable, but by no means meaningful movie.
"I deal in human fulfillment."
TOMASBBloodhound12 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Risky Business is a film people unfortunately seem to forget about when they're listing off great teen movies. Tom Cruise, in his first major role, is wonderful as Joel Goodson. He's a boy-next-door type whose life spirals wildly out of control when his parents leave him alone for a few days. Joel is a decent student looking to spend his time wisely during his senior year of high school and hopefully get into a good college. He finds out the hard way that a few bad decisions can lead to all kinds of problems and possibly ruin your future at that age. The film has the intelligence of a John Hughes film combined with the sexual content of a Porky's film. Risky Business is the best of both worlds, if you look at it that way.
Tom Cruise's Joel Goodson seems to have a lot going for him. He is the only child living in a nice house in suburban Chicago with his loving parents. You get the sense that he's never been left alone for any extended period of time the way they fawn over him before they leave. After leaving him a decent wad of money and a few instructions about what to do and what not to do around the house, his parents split, and Joel is left all alone. Things go downhill fairly quickly. His best friend (that scene stealing Curtis Armstrong)orders him a prostitute that will show up right at his front door. Needless to say, the person who shows up is not what Joel is looking for. In a fit of sexual frustration, Joels orders the services of the gorgeous, but high-priced Rebecca De Mornay. After a wild night of sex, she informs him he owes her $300. That is substantially more money than his parents left him. Before his dilemma is solved, Joel crashes his father's Porshe in Lake Michigan, gets suspended from school, has a crazed pimp on his tail, and winds up turning his home into a brothel for one night to pay for all the damages he's caused.
This plot could have been crafted into an awful movie. Director Paul Brickman knows what he's doing, though. He gives each of his main characters enough dimension that we as the audience actually care what happens to them. We feel Joel's agony as his future seems in doubt during the film's final half hour. Rebecca De Morany is given considerably more depth that you'd think, but we are never allowed to get close enough to truly trust her. Joe Pantoliano is terrific as her pimp, also.
Is this film believable? Heavens no. It's plays more like a young man's sexual fantasy run amok. The first scene of the movie mirrors this theme. We see Joel dreaming about having sex with a hot young woman in the shower, then finding himself three hours late for his college entrance exam. We walk such a fine line between pleasure and big trouble at that age.....
9 of 10 stars The Hound.
Tom Cruise's Joel Goodson seems to have a lot going for him. He is the only child living in a nice house in suburban Chicago with his loving parents. You get the sense that he's never been left alone for any extended period of time the way they fawn over him before they leave. After leaving him a decent wad of money and a few instructions about what to do and what not to do around the house, his parents split, and Joel is left all alone. Things go downhill fairly quickly. His best friend (that scene stealing Curtis Armstrong)orders him a prostitute that will show up right at his front door. Needless to say, the person who shows up is not what Joel is looking for. In a fit of sexual frustration, Joels orders the services of the gorgeous, but high-priced Rebecca De Mornay. After a wild night of sex, she informs him he owes her $300. That is substantially more money than his parents left him. Before his dilemma is solved, Joel crashes his father's Porshe in Lake Michigan, gets suspended from school, has a crazed pimp on his tail, and winds up turning his home into a brothel for one night to pay for all the damages he's caused.
This plot could have been crafted into an awful movie. Director Paul Brickman knows what he's doing, though. He gives each of his main characters enough dimension that we as the audience actually care what happens to them. We feel Joel's agony as his future seems in doubt during the film's final half hour. Rebecca De Morany is given considerably more depth that you'd think, but we are never allowed to get close enough to truly trust her. Joe Pantoliano is terrific as her pimp, also.
Is this film believable? Heavens no. It's plays more like a young man's sexual fantasy run amok. The first scene of the movie mirrors this theme. We see Joel dreaming about having sex with a hot young woman in the shower, then finding himself three hours late for his college entrance exam. We walk such a fine line between pleasure and big trouble at that age.....
9 of 10 stars The Hound.
Tom's Charm
Boyo-210 January 2001
This movie is mostly known for the "Old Time Rock N' Roll" scene and the fact that it is the first time most people saw Tom Cruise. Both are good reasons to see this teen comedy with dramatic overtones.
Tom plays Joel Goodson, who is soon in over his head, as he contacts and spends the evening with a gold-digging call girl named Lana. When he cannot pay for services rendered, Lana lifts an expensive object from Joel's house, and the movie takes off.
The actors are all very good. Curtis Armstrong and Bronson Pinchot stand out as Joel's friends and Joe Pantoliano makes a great pimp.
This movie is essential for all male high schoolers, as it contains about a thousand fantasties, but because its also about growing up, girls and adventure in a Chicago suburb (Ferris Bueller might be living across the street). More thumbs up for the non-Hollywood,non-traditional ending.
Tom plays Joel Goodson, who is soon in over his head, as he contacts and spends the evening with a gold-digging call girl named Lana. When he cannot pay for services rendered, Lana lifts an expensive object from Joel's house, and the movie takes off.
The actors are all very good. Curtis Armstrong and Bronson Pinchot stand out as Joel's friends and Joe Pantoliano makes a great pimp.
This movie is essential for all male high schoolers, as it contains about a thousand fantasties, but because its also about growing up, girls and adventure in a Chicago suburb (Ferris Bueller might be living across the street). More thumbs up for the non-Hollywood,non-traditional ending.
Vastly underrated Sign 'o' the Times
promptus29 October 2004
Underrated (I): Cruise (Joel Goodson) is highly amusing as one of his most feared "career moves" might become harsh reality: University of Illinois - here he is! Excellent movie providing an accurate, contemporary image of the eighties. Well to do family all shook up by low class intruders of various kinds. Underrated (II): the importance of the exhilarating music for this movie, providing a perfect match - between dreamy Techno (Tangerine Dream) and "that old time rock 'n roll" (Seger, The Police, Phil Collins, Muddy Waters, Bruce Springsteen). The relationship with De Mornay is amazingly vibrant - the dialogue sharp and cheerful. Everlasting oneliners everywhere. The impression this movie made here in Europe (is that what American highschool life is really about?) can hardly be overrated.
One of the best of the '80s
pmtelefon10 April 2020
I don't know how many Best of the 80s lists "Risky Business" lands on but it should be on all of them. The '80s were a great movie decade. The Teen Movie was one of its great genres. "Risky Business" took that teen genre and showed how great those movies could be. The story, cast, music are all top-notch. I saw is movie in the theater (Sunrise Multiplex, Valley Stream, NY) and many times since. For some reason it fell off my movie rotation. Last night was the first time I've seen "Risky Business" in years. Shame on me. It's one of the greats.
80s Risky Frisky
jeroduptown31 May 2021
Degrading example of consequence-free irresponsibility
moquist14 July 2002
Warning: Spoilers
I would recommend against seeing this film, so I don't feel bad about including spoilers in this review. But, just so you're aware... SPOILER ALERT!! I can enjoy "Pulp Fiction" as art. I appreciate "A Clockwork Orange", which has far more explicit nudity, _and_ violence, than this film. I appreciate those films because they mean something; the artists who created them were aiming toward something more significant than "feel-good" light comedy. My best guess is that this film wanted to explore teen angst. If that was its goal, however, it failed, as the perspective it gives us is hopelessly lopsided and fails to engage sufficiently (even as parody or contrast) with reality. The overall message seems to be "be willing to cut loose once in a while". That's a fine message, when "cut loose" is defined well. This film portrays "cutting loose" as utter irresponsibility that is blind to consequences. (Although Joel thinks he won't get into Princeton (a bad consequence of his actions), he does (an unreasonable, good consequence). So what is the film really saying here?) That is hardly a worthy message.
I would recommend either "The Breakfast Club" or "Dirty Dancing" over this film, as each of them 1) confronts the same/similar issues as "Risky Business", without so many of the mindless, cliched, "feel-goodisms", and 2) significantly explores something relevant to human life in such a way as to arrive at some sort of conclusion. If you want to watch this film just to see a young Tom Cruise...well, consider yourself warned. There are many other, better movies on which you can spend your time.
I would recommend either "The Breakfast Club" or "Dirty Dancing" over this film, as each of them 1) confronts the same/similar issues as "Risky Business", without so many of the mindless, cliched, "feel-goodisms", and 2) significantly explores something relevant to human life in such a way as to arrive at some sort of conclusion. If you want to watch this film just to see a young Tom Cruise...well, consider yourself warned. There are many other, better movies on which you can spend your time.
Not Just Another Teen Sex Comedy
Sargebri14 June 2003
When this film was released, it was during the time of the "teen sex comedy" craze. Films like Class and Porky's were all about seeing scores of horny teens in the most raunchy escapades possible. However, this film and Fast Times at Ridgemont High can be seen as more being a little more serious than the others. Risky Business is definitely a commentary on how greed can corrupt an individual and what the consequences can be. Also, the acting in this film, as well as Fast Times, is light years away from Porky's and all films like it and it will always be a classic parable.
"50 dollars? What are we going to do about this, Joel?"
Habibi-Universe29 September 2020
Paul Brickman's 'Risky Business' (1983) is a very enjoyable and entertaining teen comedy about the Chicago teenager Joel (Tom Cruise) looking for "fun" at home while his parents are away for awhile. During that time he gets mixed up in a business teenagers should probably stay away from.
This is one of Tom Cruise's first performances in his career. Here we have a very young Cruise in his very early 20s! I genuinely love this film for a few reasons! I love that it is so relatable and that it is realistic. I would not be surprised if this has already happened somewhere around the world! I really don't want to give too much away because I think you'd be better off with the surprise factor turned 'on'!
'Risky Business' has a really clever actors, a great chemistry between all the actors and a very fun story! As a teenager in his early 20s I am the perfect age for this film and I find it very relatable! This film was some really funny moments and Tom Cruise is hilarious! I absolutely loved it and may even call this "one of my favorite movies of all time"! A truly delightful experience that offers itself for so many future repeat viewings! 6/10
This is one of Tom Cruise's first performances in his career. Here we have a very young Cruise in his very early 20s! I genuinely love this film for a few reasons! I love that it is so relatable and that it is realistic. I would not be surprised if this has already happened somewhere around the world! I really don't want to give too much away because I think you'd be better off with the surprise factor turned 'on'!
'Risky Business' has a really clever actors, a great chemistry between all the actors and a very fun story! As a teenager in his early 20s I am the perfect age for this film and I find it very relatable! This film was some really funny moments and Tom Cruise is hilarious! I absolutely loved it and may even call this "one of my favorite movies of all time"! A truly delightful experience that offers itself for so many future repeat viewings! 6/10
Made Cruise a star
BandSAboutMovies7 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Written and directed by Paul Brickman, this movie dominated 1983, making a young Tom Cruise - dancing in his underwear, no less - into a legit star.
Beyond the Tangerine Dream score, the movie boasts a major scene scored by Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" as well as the aforementioned Bob Segar "Old Time Rock and Roll" tighty whitey dancing number. Plus, it has "Hungry Heart" by Bruce Springsteen, "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, some Journey, Jeff Beck, Prince, Talking Heads and Muddy Waters, too.
Cruise is Joel Goodson, a high schooler dealing with the expectations of perfection and attending Princeton. The teen movie trope of the parents away for the weekend and the parties that ensue are part of it, but so is a very real narrative of what growing up means. Rebecca De Mornay shines here as Lana, again another trope of the hooker with the heart of gold, yet outdoing the expectations that you have for how her story progresses.
Between this film and The Blues Brothers, Ray-Ban's Wayfarer sunglasses found themselves going from waning sales to being the hottest shades ever. That popularity has really never ceased.
As for Tangerine Dream, most of their score for the film comes from their album Force Majeure, including the title song from that release making up Lana's theme. They also based another song, "No Future (Get off the Babysitter)," on a past song called "Exit."
Beyond the Tangerine Dream score, the movie boasts a major scene scored by Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" as well as the aforementioned Bob Segar "Old Time Rock and Roll" tighty whitey dancing number. Plus, it has "Hungry Heart" by Bruce Springsteen, "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, some Journey, Jeff Beck, Prince, Talking Heads and Muddy Waters, too.
Cruise is Joel Goodson, a high schooler dealing with the expectations of perfection and attending Princeton. The teen movie trope of the parents away for the weekend and the parties that ensue are part of it, but so is a very real narrative of what growing up means. Rebecca De Mornay shines here as Lana, again another trope of the hooker with the heart of gold, yet outdoing the expectations that you have for how her story progresses.
Between this film and The Blues Brothers, Ray-Ban's Wayfarer sunglasses found themselves going from waning sales to being the hottest shades ever. That popularity has really never ceased.
As for Tangerine Dream, most of their score for the film comes from their album Force Majeure, including the title song from that release making up Lana's theme. They also based another song, "No Future (Get off the Babysitter)," on a past song called "Exit."
Here's what was risky.
lee_eisenberg15 January 2006
Everyone remembers the scene of Joel Goodsen (Tom Cruise) dancing around to "Old Time Rock 'N' Roll", but some people may have forgotten some of the movie's other aspects. The plot of course has Goodsen hooking up with prostitute Lana (Rebecca DeMornay), but the movie also shows the takeover by greed in the '80s: Joel's classmates are obsessed with money, and he even asks if people can think about anything else. Oh well. I really liked the scene where people are arriving in the house while "Mannish Boy" is playing (the movie was actually released the year that Muddy Waters died). And it's also surprising now that I know who some of the cast members were: Joe Pantoliano - of "The Goonies", "The Matrix" and "Memento" fame - plays Guido the pimp, and Curtis Armstrong - aka Booger in "Revenge of the Nerds" - plays Miles. Whoa.
loved it
johndavis-461849 March 2021
Risky but rewarding
Aldri720 May 2012
Everyone has their own "coming of age" story, and many could probably peddle theirs on the big screen if they worked hard enough at it. "Risky Business" is one example of this age old theme, and a great one for exploring issues such as class conflict, peer pressure and parental expectations, all as they relate to the sexual awakening of a young upper middle class male.
This is the movie that launched Tom Cruise's career, and its success is due in a large part to his great performance as the lead character, Joel Goodson. Joel is an earnest, hard working high school student who wants to do the right thing, but is also possessed with desires (aren't we all) and an intense curiosity about life beyond his well manicured front lawn. To help him explore these desires are three friends who all seem to be a little more experienced and less inhibited than himself. This appears to be the source of much of Joel's problems. Joel, in a nutshell, needs to prove to himself and the world that he is more than just a ""Goodson".
Now one will note that right off the bat, "Risky Business" offers a little more than the usual coming of age fare. There is depth, style, good music and a carefully crafted mingling of dreamlike sequences with real life sequences. All of this serves to create the proper mood for the play out of Joel's inner conflicts. And the conflict that haunts Joel the most in the opening hour of the movie is the one between sex and success. The message: If you pursue one, you will sacrifice the other. Among those hammering home this theme are Joel's parents who fear that one day, the egg they brought into the world will hatch into a bad egg. So what happens when they leave home for a three day weekend, leaving their big house in the suburbs all to Joel? Well, keep an eye on that egg....
Joel is tempted, and the empty house soon becomes a playground for the play out of his fantasies. "Egged" on by his friends, he invites over Lana (Rebecca de Mornay), a beautiful and classy working girl from downtown who represents everything he desires. They have sex, but soon after the fantasy begins to spiral out of control. For one, Lana has friends, and they seem intent on taking over Joel's house. All of this means that Joel's future is now in jeopardy. The egg meanwhile disappears for a time and when it reappears, it now has a crack in it...
OK, so now we have arrived at the nexus of the movie's message, and it is one that many have argued about over the years. Personally, I find it abhorant that anyone's life should be ruled by a credo that says that sex and a successful working life are mutually exclusive. This seems a problem unique to Joel. Yet Joel's solution to this problem is only one of many, and really, I mean, turning your folks house into a cathouse for a few days doesn't rank up there as one of the smartest decisions that a young man could make. But hey, Joel will never be the bad egg that his parents fear, and the risk he took COULD be seen as a sign that he possesses some qualities that will serve him well later in life. Is that why his misdeed lands him a spot at Princeton, and ONLY why? I don't really have a problem with the message, having faced similar circumstances in my own life a long time ago.
Anyway, through it all, Joel maintains a sort of sheepish attitude, smiling his way through much of the movie. But he also gets scared when he's REALLY in trouble (i.e when it comes to Dad's car). Otherwise, he seems way too genuinely nice to be a bad egg. And also, he falls in love with Lana, the scheming working girl and business woman who strangely becomes his mentor, both sexual AND career wise. To me, it all works in a crazy sort of way. His sexual awakening is balanced and augmented by a tutoring in how to respect the power of money. Maybe Joel can have BOTH his sex and his success in life after all...thanks to Lana...?
So, but there is even more to Risky Business than that. Consider the great, hypnotic music by Tangerine Dream,and some truly memorable dreamlike sequences including one on a subway late in the movie. All of this brought emotional impact to the movie in addition to the conflict and inner tension. It was enough to almost bring one to tears. So how can Joel's parents not be happy with the outcome of all this? Joel knows his place in life, and he has securely positioned himself for future success. And that he had this little adventure only broadened his horizons a little while provided him with one heck of a real life fantasy!
In conclusion, all of this secured "Risky Business's" place as probably the best coming of age movie to come out of Hollywood in the 1980's. And it also served as a springboard for Tom Cruise, who was justly praised for making it all happen through Joel Goodson, the earnest and appealing high schooler, who deftly transformed his sexual fantasies into a great career move. "Risky Business" is aptly named, and should not be missed.
This is the movie that launched Tom Cruise's career, and its success is due in a large part to his great performance as the lead character, Joel Goodson. Joel is an earnest, hard working high school student who wants to do the right thing, but is also possessed with desires (aren't we all) and an intense curiosity about life beyond his well manicured front lawn. To help him explore these desires are three friends who all seem to be a little more experienced and less inhibited than himself. This appears to be the source of much of Joel's problems. Joel, in a nutshell, needs to prove to himself and the world that he is more than just a ""Goodson".
Now one will note that right off the bat, "Risky Business" offers a little more than the usual coming of age fare. There is depth, style, good music and a carefully crafted mingling of dreamlike sequences with real life sequences. All of this serves to create the proper mood for the play out of Joel's inner conflicts. And the conflict that haunts Joel the most in the opening hour of the movie is the one between sex and success. The message: If you pursue one, you will sacrifice the other. Among those hammering home this theme are Joel's parents who fear that one day, the egg they brought into the world will hatch into a bad egg. So what happens when they leave home for a three day weekend, leaving their big house in the suburbs all to Joel? Well, keep an eye on that egg....
Joel is tempted, and the empty house soon becomes a playground for the play out of his fantasies. "Egged" on by his friends, he invites over Lana (Rebecca de Mornay), a beautiful and classy working girl from downtown who represents everything he desires. They have sex, but soon after the fantasy begins to spiral out of control. For one, Lana has friends, and they seem intent on taking over Joel's house. All of this means that Joel's future is now in jeopardy. The egg meanwhile disappears for a time and when it reappears, it now has a crack in it...
OK, so now we have arrived at the nexus of the movie's message, and it is one that many have argued about over the years. Personally, I find it abhorant that anyone's life should be ruled by a credo that says that sex and a successful working life are mutually exclusive. This seems a problem unique to Joel. Yet Joel's solution to this problem is only one of many, and really, I mean, turning your folks house into a cathouse for a few days doesn't rank up there as one of the smartest decisions that a young man could make. But hey, Joel will never be the bad egg that his parents fear, and the risk he took COULD be seen as a sign that he possesses some qualities that will serve him well later in life. Is that why his misdeed lands him a spot at Princeton, and ONLY why? I don't really have a problem with the message, having faced similar circumstances in my own life a long time ago.
Anyway, through it all, Joel maintains a sort of sheepish attitude, smiling his way through much of the movie. But he also gets scared when he's REALLY in trouble (i.e when it comes to Dad's car). Otherwise, he seems way too genuinely nice to be a bad egg. And also, he falls in love with Lana, the scheming working girl and business woman who strangely becomes his mentor, both sexual AND career wise. To me, it all works in a crazy sort of way. His sexual awakening is balanced and augmented by a tutoring in how to respect the power of money. Maybe Joel can have BOTH his sex and his success in life after all...thanks to Lana...?
So, but there is even more to Risky Business than that. Consider the great, hypnotic music by Tangerine Dream,and some truly memorable dreamlike sequences including one on a subway late in the movie. All of this brought emotional impact to the movie in addition to the conflict and inner tension. It was enough to almost bring one to tears. So how can Joel's parents not be happy with the outcome of all this? Joel knows his place in life, and he has securely positioned himself for future success. And that he had this little adventure only broadened his horizons a little while provided him with one heck of a real life fantasy!
In conclusion, all of this secured "Risky Business's" place as probably the best coming of age movie to come out of Hollywood in the 1980's. And it also served as a springboard for Tom Cruise, who was justly praised for making it all happen through Joel Goodson, the earnest and appealing high schooler, who deftly transformed his sexual fantasies into a great career move. "Risky Business" is aptly named, and should not be missed.
Live a little, NOW ..
gillies21 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Your parents are going out of town for a week. You are graduating from high school and haven't even been laid. Your friends have a future that is secure, but you seem to be going nowhere fast. Maybe, just maybe, while your parents are gone this weekend, you should say, "What the F*ck???" (sic, quote from movie) and live a little bit more ....
This is a brilliant movie, about life's choices, about living a little, taking chances, with a very positive message for people willing to risk living "outside the box". Starring a 17-year old kid who's been thoroughly screwed up by his overly strict parents ....
A lot of people miss the point of this movie. Joel takes chances, and pays DEARLY and REPEATEDLY for the chances he takes. He goes at least $1000 in the hole over the course of this movie, but ends up ahead in life because HIS FAMILY had clearly screwed up his brain and having a GIRLFRIEND and TRYING SOMETHING NEW has put him on the road to recovery.
A few puritans gave this movie a 5 because they mistakenly think it has something to say about prostitution or making money. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the prostitutes in this movie are the most unbelievable and unpredictable characters, and Joel ends up roughly $1000 in the hole. A few others give it a 5 because the music is by New Age band Tangerine dream, and New Age is still not a very popular media. I give the movie a 10 for message, a 10 for cruise's facial acting (and dancing), and a 10 for irony and twists and surprises, over and over and over again.
The love scenes between Cruise and De Mornay are IMHO, as good as anything that's been in movies for the past 20 years, while still being somewhere between PG13 and R rated, e.g. pretty tame.
This is a brilliant movie, about life's choices, about living a little, taking chances, with a very positive message for people willing to risk living "outside the box". Starring a 17-year old kid who's been thoroughly screwed up by his overly strict parents ....
A lot of people miss the point of this movie. Joel takes chances, and pays DEARLY and REPEATEDLY for the chances he takes. He goes at least $1000 in the hole over the course of this movie, but ends up ahead in life because HIS FAMILY had clearly screwed up his brain and having a GIRLFRIEND and TRYING SOMETHING NEW has put him on the road to recovery.
A few puritans gave this movie a 5 because they mistakenly think it has something to say about prostitution or making money. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the prostitutes in this movie are the most unbelievable and unpredictable characters, and Joel ends up roughly $1000 in the hole. A few others give it a 5 because the music is by New Age band Tangerine dream, and New Age is still not a very popular media. I give the movie a 10 for message, a 10 for cruise's facial acting (and dancing), and a 10 for irony and twists and surprises, over and over and over again.
The love scenes between Cruise and De Mornay are IMHO, as good as anything that's been in movies for the past 20 years, while still being somewhere between PG13 and R rated, e.g. pretty tame.
Ferris Bueller Was A PG Rip Off Of Risky Business. Coolest Teen Drama Ever.
Real_Review5 May 2019
A must-see classic, featuring great shots of 1980's Chicago. Rebecca De Mornay is beautiful and Tom Cruise is great. It's sad that we didn't get more films from writer/director Paul Brickman..
RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria: Acting - 1/1 Casting - 1/1 Directing - 1/1 Story - 1/1 Writing/Screenplay - 1/1
Total Base Score = 5
Modifiers (+ or -) Originality: 1 Cinematography: 0.5 Soundtrack: 0.5
Total RealReview Rating: 7
RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria: Acting - 1/1 Casting - 1/1 Directing - 1/1 Story - 1/1 Writing/Screenplay - 1/1
Total Base Score = 5
Modifiers (+ or -) Originality: 1 Cinematography: 0.5 Soundtrack: 0.5
Total RealReview Rating: 7
A confused kid in a confused world
DTM243416 July 1999
Tom Cruise stars in this 80's teen flick that was popular for its time and still has a good message to this very day. Tom playing the innocent Joel Goodson, a kid that is on his way to making it big and getting into a good college until he meets up with the call girl Lana(Rebecca De Mornay). This movie just goes to show you how certain decisions can have different impacts on how the overall picture turns out, and Joel sees and realizes just that. The show was cast perfectly and the music adds to spice the movie up. This is a Warner Bros. classic and I think anyone in their right mind should see it.
Something Sad About This
Hitchcoc3 December 2018
First of all, I feel this was far fetched. Tom Cruise came along and made a name for himself (remember That Old Time Rock and Roll). HIs entrepreneurship and lack of direction, and pressure from his family,lead to some choices that could be deemed somewhat ridiculous. I know it's just a movie, but I don't see him the least bit heroic (and I generally like Tom Cruise). The conclusion is formula and that detracts from its effectiveness.
Quotable and Memorable, but Still Lacking
chrisq2818 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I have to admit that before I saw this film, I only knew two things about it:
1. The soundtrack was done by Tangerine Dream. 2. Tom Cruise dances around the house in his underwear to Bob Seger.
It turns out that both of those things are true.
"Risky Business" is about a kid named Joel Goodsen ("Good" "Son", get it?) (played by Tom Cruise), a clean-cut high school kid who learns what it's like to say "f--- it," and take risks when his parents go out of town. Joel's goals at the beginning of the movie center around getting into a good college and planning for his future. As the film progresses, however, we watch Joel make decisions that get him further and further into trouble, and we're expected to be amused as he tries to make his way out of it.
The trouble that Joel gets himself into centers mainly around an attractive hooker, Lana, who is played by Rebecca de Mornay. One thing I did like about this movie was that de Mornay didn't play the "hooker with a heart of gold" role that has become all-too-familiar with post-Pretty Woman actresses who play hookers. Joel gets involved with Lana and her hooker friends, tries to help them out of trouble, and ends up getting getting into a tailspin of drama that includes, but is not limited to, death threats from "Guido the killer pimp." He eventually gets trapped into a situation where he needs lots of money, fast, and ends up compromising pretty much every value he held dear to him before his parents went out of town. Plus, he ends up with a hooker for a "girlfriend," which I think is pretty gross, and I was confused as to why Joel Goodsen (or anyone besides a junkie or something) would want a girlfriend who sleeps with random dudes for money.
My biggest complaint is that Joel ended up as a much worse person by the end of the movie than he did at the beginning. The film had absolutely no pathos. Pre-corruption Joel asks his friends if they're interested in doing anything in life besides making money. He mentions cornily that he wants to help his fellow man. By the end of the film, Joel's last lines are: "My name is Joel Goodson. I deal in human fulfillment. I grossed over eight thousand dollars in one night." The kid compromises all of his values, and seems to have learned absolutely nothing about how dirty and hopeless prostitution can be--the closest he comes to having an epiphany on his actions seems to be that "If there were any logic to our language, trust would be a four letter word." But shortly after saying that, he makes multiple decisions that would have one guess that he's never been there or done that before, which includes trusting a prostitute, for God's sake, over and over again, even though she screws him over each and every time.
I guess if the goal of this movie was to watch high school kids get into various debaucheries with women who get paid to screw for a living, they've succeeded well. Additionally, if writer/director Paul Brickman (who went on to do pretty much nothing, by the way) meant to show that becoming a pimp can bring money, success, and entrance to the university of your choice, then he succeeded. Maybe he meant this to be a little darker than the average comedy, and maybe this movie would have found a more supportive audience in the year in which I was two years old, but I just found my sympathy for the characters and the movie as a whole went nowhere but down as the movie went on.
1. The soundtrack was done by Tangerine Dream. 2. Tom Cruise dances around the house in his underwear to Bob Seger.
It turns out that both of those things are true.
"Risky Business" is about a kid named Joel Goodsen ("Good" "Son", get it?) (played by Tom Cruise), a clean-cut high school kid who learns what it's like to say "f--- it," and take risks when his parents go out of town. Joel's goals at the beginning of the movie center around getting into a good college and planning for his future. As the film progresses, however, we watch Joel make decisions that get him further and further into trouble, and we're expected to be amused as he tries to make his way out of it.
The trouble that Joel gets himself into centers mainly around an attractive hooker, Lana, who is played by Rebecca de Mornay. One thing I did like about this movie was that de Mornay didn't play the "hooker with a heart of gold" role that has become all-too-familiar with post-Pretty Woman actresses who play hookers. Joel gets involved with Lana and her hooker friends, tries to help them out of trouble, and ends up getting getting into a tailspin of drama that includes, but is not limited to, death threats from "Guido the killer pimp." He eventually gets trapped into a situation where he needs lots of money, fast, and ends up compromising pretty much every value he held dear to him before his parents went out of town. Plus, he ends up with a hooker for a "girlfriend," which I think is pretty gross, and I was confused as to why Joel Goodsen (or anyone besides a junkie or something) would want a girlfriend who sleeps with random dudes for money.
My biggest complaint is that Joel ended up as a much worse person by the end of the movie than he did at the beginning. The film had absolutely no pathos. Pre-corruption Joel asks his friends if they're interested in doing anything in life besides making money. He mentions cornily that he wants to help his fellow man. By the end of the film, Joel's last lines are: "My name is Joel Goodson. I deal in human fulfillment. I grossed over eight thousand dollars in one night." The kid compromises all of his values, and seems to have learned absolutely nothing about how dirty and hopeless prostitution can be--the closest he comes to having an epiphany on his actions seems to be that "If there were any logic to our language, trust would be a four letter word." But shortly after saying that, he makes multiple decisions that would have one guess that he's never been there or done that before, which includes trusting a prostitute, for God's sake, over and over again, even though she screws him over each and every time.
I guess if the goal of this movie was to watch high school kids get into various debaucheries with women who get paid to screw for a living, they've succeeded well. Additionally, if writer/director Paul Brickman (who went on to do pretty much nothing, by the way) meant to show that becoming a pimp can bring money, success, and entrance to the university of your choice, then he succeeded. Maybe he meant this to be a little darker than the average comedy, and maybe this movie would have found a more supportive audience in the year in which I was two years old, but I just found my sympathy for the characters and the movie as a whole went nowhere but down as the movie went on.
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