Risky Business (1983)
Average Rating: 7.4/10
Reviews Counted: 43
Fresh: 42 | Rotten: 1
Featuring one of Tom Cruise's best early performances, Risky Business is a sharp, funny examination of teen angst that doesn't stop short of exploring dark themes.
Average Rating: 7.6/10
Critic Reviews: 7
Fresh: 7 | Rotten: 0
Featuring one of Tom Cruise's best early performances, Risky Business is a sharp, funny examination of teen angst that doesn't stop short of exploring dark themes.
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Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 67,200
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Movie Info
Risky Business is the film in which 19-year-old Tom Cruise dances around his living room in his underwear. He does this to celebrate the fact that his parents have left him alone while they go on vacation. Somewhere along the line, hooker Rebecca De Mornay, fleeing her vicious pimp, hides out in the Cruise manse. Things go from bad to worse to as Cruise inadvertently drives his father's Porsche into Lake Michigan and nearly scuttles his college recruitment interview. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Aug 5, 1983 Wide
Aug 27, 1997
Warner Bros.
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Tom Cruise
Joel Goodson -
Rebecca De Mornay
Lana -
Curtis Armstrong
Miles -
Bronson Pinchot
Barry -
Raphael Sbarge
Glenn -
Joe Pantoliano
Guido -
Nicholas Pryor
Joel's father -
Janet Carroll
Joel's mother -
Shera Danese
Vicki -
Bruce A. Young
Jackie -
Kevin Anderson
Chuck -
Vinny Argiro
Mr. Rents Salesman -
Jonathan Chapin
Kid at Gas Station -
Nathan Davis
Business Teacher -
Ron Dean
Detective -
Scott Harlan
Stan Licata -
Robert Kurcz
Service Manager -
Richard Masur
Rutherford Princeton re... -
Megan Mullally
Call Girl -
Sarah Partridge
Kessler -
Fern Persons
Lab Teacher -
Lora Staley
Call Girl -
Jerry Tullos
Derelict -
Karen Grossman
Hall Marshal -
Wayne Kneeland
Russell Bitterman -
Jimmy Baron
Kid at Window -
Harry Teinowitz
Kid at Party -
-
Bruno Aclin
Mechanic -
Cynthia Baker
Test Teacher -
Mike Genovese
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All Critics (43) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (1) | DVD (14)
For writer/director Paul Brickman, this was a case of being in the right place at the right time and, perhaps most importantly, getting the right leading man in place.
This film is deftly made, the humor nicely understated, the leading actors (Tom Cruise and Rebecca de Mornay) smart and appealing.
Top CriticOne of the finest film explorations of the end of innocence.
Writer-director Paul Brickman can therefore be accused of trying to have it both ways, but there's no denying the stylishness and talent of his direction.
What distinguishes it, however, is that it's hovering permanently on the brink of stark, staring disaster in a way that strangely recalls The Graduate.
It's funny because it deals with subjects that are so touchy, so fraught with emotional pain, that unless we laugh there's hardly any way we can deal with them -- especially if we are now, or ever were, a teenage boy.
It's sexy, smart and funny, but also stylish and filled with social satire and commentary on the culture of money.
Sexy Cruise classic still a risky choice for kids.
A capitalist wet dream; one that we have long since woken up from screaming.
It's easy to forget the idiosyncracies of a film that so successfully trades on adolescent male fantasies and nightmares. [Blu-ray]
The 25th anniversary edition (in blue-ray and high-definition) contains commentary by star Cruise, director's final cut of the last scene, and other useful docus.
It works well as a comedy but one cringes at the thought that it defined, for a while, the social expectations of a generation.
De Mornay does sterling work as the helpful hooker, but this is Cruise's big chance, and he relishes it, putting in a believable and likeable performance.
One of the key films of the 1980s, and proof that a teen sex comedy could merit serious consideration.
Good '80's teen movie with a suitable soundtrack and the loveable Cruise displaying his new found starry confidence.
Paul Brickman makes a splashy debut with a stylish youth satire that conveys more vividly Reagonomics and the corrupt and decadent decade of 1980s than serious dramas like Wall Street; it's also a wonderful showcase for Tom Cruise, who became a star.
Mildly diverting, wildly overrrated.
Audience Reviews for Risky Business
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Joel's father: Sometimes you just gotta say "what the heck."
-
- Joel Goodson: Every now and then say, 'What the fuck'. It gives you freedom.
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- Miles: Every now and then say, 'What the fuck.' 'What the fuck' gives you freedom. Freedom brings opportunity. Opportunity makes your future.
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- Miles: Sometimes you gotta say, 'What the fuck'?
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"There's a time for playing it safe and a time for Risky Business."
Risky Business is one of the definitive 80's movies. It features a young Tom Cruise in one of his career defining and career starting films. This is a classic 80's film with a lot of sex and a lot of style. It's also one of the better teen comedies out there. The movie is smart, funny, honest, and really good. The plot, while not likely, still makes a lot of sense when you examine the teenage boy. We're horny, stupid, and crazy. Combine those three and you have a rough combination there. That's what Joel does when his parents leave for vacation. His whole life, he has lived by the rules. He's worked hard in school and in his extracurriculars, so that he can fulfill his dads dream of him going to Princeton. So when Joel finally he gets a little freedom, he says "What the fuck?"
Let's be honest, every guy out there can sympathize with Joel. We are him. When our parents left the house when we were in high school, it would go a lot like this. "Don't have anyone over" "No parties" Don't drive my car" To which we responded, "Okay, you can trust me." Bull Shit. The minute they were gone we were cruising in their car and calling up all of the friends we could think of. In the same way that is what Joel is doing in Risky Business. He's having a good time just like every teenager does. The only problem with it, is it got way out of hand and way over his head.The best thing about Risky Business is that it does make every guy think back to all the stuff he did in high school. You can really connect with a lot of what's going on in the movie. Maybe just not to that extreme though.
Risky Business really is a must watch. It transcends being just another teen comedy. It ends up being a drama/comedy/romance all in one. There's scenes of pure brilliance such as the one between Cruise and De Mornay on the train. It's one of those movies that bring back the teenage days so well and with a lot of honesty.