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Risky Business poster

Risky Business

year 1983decade 80sdirector Paul Brickmangenre Comedygenre Satire

96 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Tom Cruise Joel Goodsen
Richard Masur Rutherford
Nicholas Pryor Joel’s father
Janet Carroll Joel’s mother
Shera Danese Vicki

Risky Business | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanproducer Jessie Lopez
Explore episodeClose episode

Half-Assed Internet Research

Development, ending disputes, casting anecdotes, locations, posters and Porsches.

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:16:37Read transcript
  • Curtis Armstrong's book describes Cruise and Sean Penn socializing during their simultaneous Chicago shoots, and Cruise disappearing from Armstrong's life after filming.
  • De Mornay was dating Harry Dean Stanton, who received the script for Guido and encouraged her audition. Armstrong recounts a developing Cruise–De Mornay romance while Stanton stayed in Chicago swimming laps.
  • Warner Bros. put the project in turnaround; Avnet and Tisch struggled to sell it after Night Shift, until Geffen backed it with Lana aged to twenty-one.
  • The happier ending tested much better for Geffen, while Brickman and Avnet objected; the dispute reportedly prevented a premiere.
  • Cruise reportedly trained daily, lost weight, then stopped and ate fatty food to soften his face for a teenage appearance.
  • Joel's Highland Park house is near the Ferris Bueller location, prompting speculation about the characters being neighbors.
  • The crystal egg came from Steuben Glassworks in Corning, New York; Armstrong's book describes Cruise's active dating during the shoot.
  • Brickman opposed a raunchy cartoon marketing concept; the hosts admire the final iconic poster but would also buy the rejected one.
  • Four 1978 Porsche 928 s were used; a surviving car reportedly rose from $49,000 in 2012 to about $2 million nine years later, an investment the hosts doubt will hold its cultural value.

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:00Read transcript
  • Ebert awarded four stars, praising the film's perceptive satire and earned comparison with The Graduate.

Most Rewatchable Scene

The opening, Miles’s advice, the dance, the Porsche chase, Joel’s pimp transformation and the ending.

In the discussion (14)
Approx. transcript time · 00:33:37Read transcript
  • The opening ten minutes: train credits, dream and poker-table banter about pedaling home to masturbate.
  • Miles's what-the-fuck speech ties risk-taking to freedom, opportunity and business success.
  • The frozen dinner followed by Cruise's Old Time Rock and Roll dance, whose fame now exceeds the movie's.
  • The brief get-off-the-babysitter fantasy, with Ron Dean as the police sergeant.
  • The Porsche chase after leaving the Drake, especially Miles's trig-midterm and killer-pimp line, remembered as a huge theatrical laugh.
  • Miles's throw-up aside and the Porsche slogan payoff cap the chase; Guido tapping the window with a gun abruptly raises the danger.
  • The Porsche rolling into the lake, with convincingly stoned Cruise and the temporary relief before the dock collapses.
  • Joel's unraveling after the accident and frantic run upstairs to Lana are visually inventive.
  • Joel becomes a pimp, recruiting friends and comparing dating costs with paid sex at the burger joint.
  • The brothel party is clearly staged within the familiar house, then Rutherford's arrival produces another surprise and the University of Illinois punchline.
  • Joel buys his belongings back, including the negotiation over the artsy-fartsy object.
  • The released ending's human-fulfillment line and residual hope are defended, though the original lake-view ending also works.
  • Final preferences include Joel's pimp transformation and street recruitment, plus the car chase and Lana's amused reactions.
  • Craig argues that the dance scene overshadowed a richer movie and would not make his personal top ten scenes; he also finds Joel's dress-shirt, underwear and socks outfit strange. — Craig Horlbeck

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

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.

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

Joel watching his parents leave; the catcher-mask phone call and check-cashed sign.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:01:37Read transcript
  • Joel's perspective during the parents' departure, and his first call to Lana in a catcher's mask with the checks-cashed sign behind him.

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.

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.

Casting What-Ifs

Hutton, Lowe and other Joel candidates; Pfeiffer for Lana; the Sinatra-as-Guido rumor doubted.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:32Read transcript
  • Timothy Hutton reportedly declined Joel for Daniel; Rob Lowe claimed he declined it, and Sean Penn, John Cusack, Kevin Bacon and Tom Hanks are among reported auditioners. One additional name is unclear in the transcript.
  • Michelle Pfeiffer reportedly declined Lana; Sharon Stone, Kim Basinger and Brooke Shields are named as alternatives, but the Basinger claim is treated skeptically.
  • The Michael J. Fox rumor is strongly rejected as a poor fit; Pfeiffer's fame and different sensuality would also change the film.
  • Frank Sinatra was allegedly considered for Guido, with age and physical demands cited against him; the host does not believe the story.

Apex Mountain

Paul Brickman; a split between Risky Business and Say Anything for high-quality eighties teen movies.

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:06Read transcript
  • Cruise is rejected and Brickman affirmed. One host chooses this for high-quality 1980 s teen movies over Fast Times, while another prefers Say Anything.
  • Chicago suburban films leads to a four-film grouping: Home Alone, Ferris Bueller, Risky Business and Thief.
  • Porsche receives a strong case for inspiring a generation's aspirations, but no explicit final yes.
  • Pimps loses to earlier cultural examples; In the Air Tonight loses to Miami Vice; Pantoliano and Pinchot are rejected, while De Mornay's later blockbusters challenge this film.
  • The Drake is considered but other appearances, including My Best Friend's Wedding, prevent a settled answer.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Joel’s virginity and sexual confidence; dream logic; Lana’s con; Miles’s cruelty.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:20Read transcript
  • Joel is assumed to be a virgin, but his first encounter seems unusually confident and prolonged; Lana's later quickness remark complicates the impression.
  • The dream framing and extravagant first sex scene leave room to read the story as Joel's fantasy; Lana's possible manipulation remains unresolved.
  • Miles may be sadistic rather than helpful: the Jackie setup and subsequent treatment of Joel seem designed to undermine him. His Harvard admission and possibly preppy conception contrast with Armstrong's older-looking performance.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

College Joel reunited with Lana, retirement-age Joel, or Joel’s son repeating the adventure.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:57Read transcript
  • Sequel ideas place Lana at Joel's college, at his retirement party, or opposite Joel as a parent whose son repeats the adventure.

Just One Oscar

Brickman’s screenplay or Tangerine Dream’s soundtrack.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:37:06Read transcript
  • Brickman's screenplay and Tangerine Dream's soundtrack are the two proposed Oscar choices.

More from the conversation

The film was formative for both hosts; Craig Horlbeck, usually the producer but not on this episode, felt it would have changed his life at fifteen.
Approx. transcript time · 00:01:36Read transcript
The film is credited with launching Cruise, De Mornay, Joe Pantoliano, Bronson Pinchot, Curtis Armstrong, producers Tisch and Avnet, Geffen's film business and Ray-Ban's cultural prominence.
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:19Read transcript
Its critique of capitalism and Reagan-era ambitions elevates it above a teen sex comedy; the noir style, Chicago setting and Tangerine Dream sound invite comparison with Thief.
Approx. transcript time · 00:04:03Read transcript
Cruise's stardom became obvious here after Taps and Losin' It, helping All the Right Moves as his next release.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:34Read transcript
The film merges raunchy teen comedies with the deeper concerns of Fast Times, distinguished by unusually sophisticated visual craft.
Approx. transcript time · 00:07:43Read transcript
Joel's surname, childhood photographs, flag and cracked egg encode lost innocence and American aspiration; cinematography and music reinforce the themes.
Approx. transcript time · 00:08:37Read transcript
The soundtrack combines Tangerine Dream with Seger, Phil Collins, Springsteen, Prince and Talking Heads; the dance scene commercialized Seger's image.
Approx. transcript time · 00:09:40Read transcript
1983 films from Flashdance and Trading Places to Vacation and Scarface share anxieties about money and unfairness, amid MTV, Letterman and Murphy's rise.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:50Read transcript
Older location-specific films shaped the hosts' impressions of Chicago and other regions, unlike production concentrated in tax-incentive cities.
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:54Read transcript
Cruise's nerdy performance did not obviously predict Top Gun's sex symbol, though contemporary photographs reveal a James Dean-like early persona.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:27Read transcript
Timothy Hutton's early Oscar made him the older model for Cruise and Penn, among many young actors competing for the same roles.
Approx. transcript time · 00:16:08Read transcript
De Mornay's expected stardom never fully materialized before The Hand That Rocks the Cradle; roles, choices and competition are debated without a firm explanation.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:51Read transcript
Lana's appeal does not make her simply evil: she and Joel share transactional ambitions.
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:20Read transcript
The plot's stolen egg raises whether Lana and Jackie planned a con from the start. A total master plan seems economically inefficient, but Lana repeatedly creates dependency; innocence remains a possible reading.
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:09Read transcript
Sex Work Month is joked about as a possible retroactive theme, not confirmed.
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:12Read transcript
Brickman's disappointment over the changed ending may have curtailed a promising directing career, though the hosts question his resilience and note the endings differ more in tone than events.
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:04Read transcript
The original restaurant ending's lake view is visually praised, with Joel and Lana interpreted as emotionally isolated young people.
Approx. transcript time · 00:28:20Read transcript
Brickman's limited later output is compared with a hypothetical Cameron Crowe stopping after Fast Times; his earlier Bad News Bears in Breaking Training script is praised.
Approx. transcript time · 00:29:00Read transcript
A reported long refusal to revisit the movie remains uncertain. The stated budget is $6.2 million, while the gross is garbled in this transcript.
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:00Read transcript
Larry David nearly quitting Seinfeld offers an analogy for a creator's decisive conflict with executives.
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:49Read transcript
Unsupervised teenagers were a recurring premise before mobile phones and home cameras; a modern version would involve influencers, cryptocurrency and a celebrity fight.
Approx. transcript time · 00:35:11Read transcript
Frozen convenience meals and primitive microwaves evoke the era's limited food options.
Approx. transcript time · 00:37:42Read transcript
Cruise's wholehearted dancing anticipates the showmanship of Cocktail and The Color of Money.
Approx. transcript time · 00:38:51Read transcript
Unexpected shifts from sexual fantasy into caper and con story keep the film surprising.
Approx. transcript time · 00:42:59Read transcript
Ferris Bueller similarities include suburban Chicago, nearby filming houses and fathers who forbid touching prized cars.
Approx. transcript time · 00:45:09Read transcript
Lana's accidental release of the car can be read as a tactic to make Joel financially dependent on her brothel proposal.
Approx. transcript time · 00:46:49Read transcript
The University of Illinois line became a joke during a host's own college applications.
Approx. transcript time · 00:50:34Read transcript
One host recalls nine days home alone during the 1986 ALCS and secretly throwing a party.
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:08Read transcript
The offer of a no-charge girlfriend is framed as a warning sign for a teenager.
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:59Read transcript
Sean Penn reportedly drives the Porsche in the driveway shot as an informal cameo.
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:51Read transcript
Repeated viewing reveals Lana constantly examining household objects, an ambiguous clue to her motives.
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:17Read transcript
Brickman said Hollywood attention made him uncomfortable, moved away, declined Rain Man and Forrest Gump and acknowledged squandering opportunities.
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:22Read transcript
The limited Black cast is noted in the suburban setting; Bruce A. Young later appears with Cruise in The Color of Money.
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:38Read transcript
Cruise and De Mornay's sexual chemistry is considered unusually strong in his career.
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:45Read transcript
Retrospective casting rumors may accumulate unsupported names over time.
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:56Read transcript
Masur's performance in an Emmy-winning child-abuse television film shaped one host's subsequent impression of him.
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:48Read transcript
Megan Mullally is reportedly present, but neither host could identify her onscreen.
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:34Read transcript
The season is debated from college admissions timing and the parents' vacation.
Approx. transcript time · 01:27:55Read transcript
The closing restaurant scene's money-minded teenagers could include Wall Street's Bud Fox.
Approx. transcript time · 01:40:39Read transcript
Craig's prerecorded reaction, inserted while he is away at a wedding, praises the premise and execution and imagines its formative effect on his teenage self.
Approx. transcript time · 01:42:41Read transcript
Craig praises De Mornay's cat-and-mouse performance and her unusually strong chemistry with Cruise, as well as the high-school dynamics.
Approx. transcript time · 01:44:17Read transcript
The recorded reaction celebrates the glossy, dreamlike filmmaking, backward-moving classroom clock, score and teenage point of view; Cruise's comic timing and vulnerability make this the speaker's favorite Cruise performance.
Approx. transcript time · 01:45:31Read transcript
The single-story 98-minute structure and grounded dark comedy make the film an immediate personal top-ten comedy and a favorite new Rewatchables discovery; no ten-film ranking is supplied.
Approx. transcript time · 01:46:26Read transcript
Jesse Lopez is explicitly credited with producing, participates in a Dodgers discussion and receives the closing producer credit. The conversation speculates about Dave Roberts, Shohei Ohtani and a possible contract clause without verification.
Approx. transcript time · 01:47:28Read transcript