Review of Risky Business (1983) by Claudette A — 29 Jan 2013

Risky Business was not only Tom Cruise's first starring role, it is also one of the best 80s comedies and ranks among the top high school films of all time. It takes teenage archetypes, the setting of your parents going away for the weekend, and what constitutes as the "ideal" male adolescent fantasy, and turns it on its head.

Through a wacky series of events, Cruise winds up as something of a pimp by default, and while there definitely is plenty of charm and laughs, there's also a darker undercurrent running throughout.

Whether it be literally, a good chunk of the story takes place at night, or sonically, with an incredibly moody electronic score, it all beautifully works in unison to portray the ups and downs of growing up fast and the corruptibility of innocence.

There's several bold directorial choices, like POV shots and slow motion, which give things a surreal, almost dreamlike, quality. I'm shocked this turned out to be writer-director Paul Brickman's only major credit because Business showed he was quite talented and had a unique voice worth hearing.

Obviously, the performances are also fantastic, and a good bet why the film has stood the test of time. It's easy to see how Cruise became a megastar, he is perfect at going from boyish naivete to self-assured in a convincing manner, and Rebecca De Mornay gives depth to what could have been a very stereotypical part.

The film does rush a bit too much towards the end, as a dramatic twist is both introduced and resolved before you can blink, but by and large things synch up quite well. Risky Business might be most famously remembered for Tom Cruise dancing in his underwear, but it's about so much more than that.

Time of your life, huh kid?