Risky Business takes a common movie theme – high schooler dealing with the stress and pressures of being a teenager – and puts a fresh, unique spin on the genre. Starring Tom Cruise as Joel Goodson, the classic teen comedy sees Joel running his parents’ house-turned brothel with a call girl-turned-maybe-his-girlfriend. And if that doesn’t get you interested, then I don’t know what to tell ya.
- Sometimes you just gotta say “What the fuck”
- The airport scene
- Putting audience in Joel’s position incredibly effective to get into his mindset
Tom Cruise breakthrough
This is where it begins, both the strengths of the movie and Cruise’s career. He had a few roles prior to Risky Business, but this is where we really began to see the potential star power Cruise possessed. He takes the lead role and disappears into Joel with the utmost ease. He’s believable as your normal high school student, but also equally so as a budding entrepreneur running a brothel out of his parents’ house with his prostitute girlfriend. The transitions from one to the next to who he is at the end of the movie are seamless. While it would still take a few years for the Cruise rocket ship to stardom to really take off, his leading man potential shone brightly here.
Old Time Rock and Roll
You simply cannot talk about Risky Business without at least mentioning this scene. This is the iconic moment. Even if you haven’t seen the movie, chances are you’ve seen the scene (and countless parodies and recreations). It’s just a fun, breezy scene showcasing a young man taking advantage of his newfound (albeit temporary) freedom.
Rebecca De Mornay
As great as Cruise is as Joel, Risky Business absolutely does not work without De Mornay crushing her role as Lana, Joel’s partner and girlfriend. Lana is 100% the heart of the movie, teaching Joel about love and the real world, but doing so in a loving and tender way. The movie humanizes her in a way not many would do for a character of her profession.
She’s disarming and intoxicating, much more whip smart girl next door, less so stereotypical call girl. Like Cruise, De Mornay commands the screen with such grace and ease. The two have fantastic chemistry and their performances take Risky Business to another level.
This video put together a handful of clips of Lana from the movie. It’s set to music and doesn’t show any of her speaking roles. But even still, with just her physical and facial acting, you are drawn in right away. The fact that this was only her second on-screen role (and first major role) makes it all the more impressive.
Joe Pantoliano
Kind of a subdued performance from my man Joey Pants. And considering he’s playing a gun toting, gold chain wearing, slime ball pimp, that’s saying something. It takes a special sort of actor to have that be the case.
Some NSFW language
Voiceover
This is one the oddest parts of Risky Business. There are a few, seemingly random, instances of Joel giving a voiceover. Effective voiceovers are a tricky thing to nail down. Used properly and it can add an effective extra layer of the character’s mindset. Used poorly and it can completely disrupt the flow of the movie and grind it to a halt.
The voiceover here doesn’t quite get that bad, but it still doesn’t add anything to the story. At best it’s neutral. And if that’s the case, why use it at all?
Unique spin, but can’t avoid genre tropes
Even though it takes a different path to get there, Risky Business still falls victim to several of the coming of age teen dramedy. And it’s hard to overlook the fact that the main story is a high school student running a brothel for other high school students. At least it’s not graphic and is much more subdued than most other similar movies. But that idea still leaves you feeling a bit icky as the end credits roll.
However, the dynamite lead performances of Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay, combined with a razor sharp script, Risky Business still holds up as a smart, funny movie that accurately taps into the pressures of growing up.
The Verdict: 7.7/10
Risky Business is streaming on Hulu.