Tom Cruise had no idea that cranking up some Bob Seeger and playing air guitar in his underwear would turn him into a box-office superstar. A stylish debut for writer-director Paul Brickman, the 1983 hit Risky Business served up a subtle satire of crass materialism wrapped in an irresistible plot about a crafty high schooler named Joel (Cruise) who goes into “risky business” with beguiling prostitute Lana (Rebecca De Mornay) while his parents are out of town. Joel not only turns his affluent Chicago suburb home into a lucrative bordello, but also forms a steamy personal relationship with Lana…as long as the pair can avoid vengeful pimp Guido (Joe Pantoliano) while taking care of business. A signature ‘80s film, Risky Business still holds up well thanks to Cruise's effortless charm and the movie's timeless appeal as a quintessential adolescent male fantasy. Bowing on DVD and Blu-ray in a 25th anniversary edition with a decent transfer, extras here include audio commentary by Cruise, Brickman, and producer Jon Avnet (presented as an exclusive picture-in-picture video commentary on the Blu-ray version), a retrospective featurette, original screen tests, and the director's cut of the final scene. The Blu-ray release also includes a bonus digital copy of the film. Highly recommended. (J. Shannon)
Risky Business
Warner, 99 min., R, DVD: $19.98, Blu-ray: $28.99 Volume 23, Issue 6
Risky Business
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