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Risky Business

Picking Nits

Car-repair timing, Guido’s pursuit, neighbors, Princeton admissions and party finances.

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:47:24Read transcript
  • Could a small nudge really release the parked Porsche? The hosts cannot determine the gear and parking-brake mechanics.
  • A college interviewer arriving around 9 p.m. on Friday without clearer scheduling seems implausible.
  • Restoring a submerged Porsche before the parents return seems implausibly fast.
  • Guido cannot plausibly retrieve his car and catch the Porsche after such a head start.
  • Miles's claim that he does not need to pay for sex seems judgmental, but the interaction's meaning remains unclear.
  • Neighbors would tell the parents about both the loud party and the household belongings spread outside.
  • Joel's 1090 SAT and 3.1 GPA give him no plausible Princeton chance; the counterargument is that his weak resume is the point, but closer scores would create suspense.
  • Joel's 1090 SAT, 3.1 GPA and lack of substantial extracurriculars make Princeton implausible; tutoring would be available to this family.
  • The party's $8,000 gross, worker splits, car repairs and furniture buyback do not reconcile cleanly. At $100 per transaction it would require roughly 80 transactions across about 12 workers, before other costs; the hosts speculate about higher takings, tips and Lana skimming.
  • Craig questions whether teenagers would attend the sex-worker party, the supply of workers nearby, oblivious neighbors and a Saturday-night Princeton interview. — Craig Horlbeck
Risky Business poster
Risky Business

What’s Aged the Best?

Casting, Cruise, the egg and stereo, role-playing, capitalism, Ray-Bans and Tangerine Dream.

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:47Read transcript
  • Parents going out of town as a premise, and the frantic cleanup before their return.
  • Nancy Klopper's casting, following Eddie and the Cruisers and bringing Pantoliano to Guido.
  • Cruise's expressive reactions to Jackie, sex on the train, the ruined Porsche and suspension.
  • The mother's precious crystal egg and father's guarded stereo settings capture familiar parental fixations.
  • Joel and Lana shift between teenage lovers and imitation adult domestic roles.
  • The capitalist narration, the personal-ad wording, Joel denying he is the house and Lana's yes-no-maybe delivery.
  • Ray-Ban Wayfarers reportedly gained enormous sales from the film, with Cruise later doing the same for aviators in Top Gun.
  • The Tangerine Dream score could improve almost any later movie.
Risky Business poster
Risky Business

What’s Aged the Worst?

Airport access, Chivas and Coke, frozen dinners, savings bonds, poker and teenage enterprise culture.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:04:30Read transcript
  • Walking into the airport to see departing parents off.
  • Chivas Regal and Coke with a frozen dinner is disgusting but plausibly adolescent.
  • Teenagers named Joel and possessing accessible savings bonds feel dated.
  • The poker players appear not to understand the game.
  • Bronson Pinchot's account suggests Cruise was unpleasant to work with.
  • Future Enterprisers' explicit wealth aspiration seems dated, though social media may simply have replaced it.
Risky Business poster
Risky Business

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

An Eyes Wide Shut prequel; Joel Goodson as Cruise’s second-best role.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:25Read transcript
  • Risky Business can be viewed as a prequel to Eyes Wide Shut, with Joel's experience shaping the later sexually curious doctor.
  • Joel Goodson is ranked Cruise's second-best role after Jerry Maguire, ahead of Charlie in Rain Man and Ron in Born on the Fourth of July; unlike familiar action characters, Joel is unique.
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