Risky Business | Rotten Tomatoes

Risky Business

R

Now Playing

1 hr. 36 min.

Comedy

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List

92%

50 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Ecstatic when his parents leave on vacation for a few days, high school senior Joel Goodsen (Tom Cruise) cuts loose with his best friend Miles. After an attempt at securing the services of a prostitute goes slightly awry, Joel hires gorgeous Lana (Rebecca De Mornay) for a night of delight. Stunned by the amount of Lana's "bill" the next morning, Joel grows frantic after he crashes his father's Porsche. In an effort to raise lots of money fast, a desperate Joel turns the house into a brothel.

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Critics Consensus

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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Christian K

Such a ridiculously silly premise, but still works. Cruise is undeniable as a screen presence.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/14/24

Full Review

Larry K

This is not the direction I thought this movie was going to go. Tom Cruise is awesome in everything he's in

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/28/24

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Robert B

One of the most rewatchable movies of all time due to its subtle humor and stellar soundtrack.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/05/24

Full Review

Pet N

"Sometimes you just gotta say, what the fuck..."

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/27/23

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Audience Member

There's a time to play it safe and a time for risky business One of Tom Cruise's earliest and finest roles when he was just starting out after 40 years Directed by Paul Brickman Cruise plays Joel, a straight-arrow who's excited to have his folks gone for a few days He has the house to himself and decides to have a call girl over named Lana The next few days she just happens to be working for an overbearing, violent pimp that plans to make him pay unless she can Joel plans to go to college but doesn't want to make a mistake, he wrestles with a metaphorical form of adulthood He's got a plethora of things to fix before his whole life is ruined from his dads wrecked car to his furniture being stolen Does anyone want to make lots of money or accomplish anything? The movie works thanks to a talented performance by Cruise as a wild streak looking to break free, a nice soothing electronic score by Tangerine Dream, Rebecca de Mornay's charisma being a tantalizing mystery, and seeing that as a teenager you can start to find your true passions once you've got a taste of running things There's that infamous dance scene too of Cruise we can never forget Plenty of teen angst exploring dark themes Yes it's quite problematic-depicting sex workers and it’s a product of the Regan era but it does capture certain truths being young while also relating to the emotional whiplash adolescent vibes How many of us want everything to be safe and predictable so things don't go out of control? Joel goes through heaven and hell paying the emotional price surrendering his innocence as well as financial not to mention the fantasies he has covering his anxieties A terrific art-directed allusion to growing up thanks to Brickman making a lot of the camerawork having sensual undertones almost coming off as an erotic music video Brickman turned his back on Hollywood after studio executives he admitted made him change the ending but it was still his first successful turn in the industry Great ambiguity in the storytelling, two amazing leads, and a great sense of John Hughes-like sensibility acting as a smart, perceptive satire on the culture of money making as well as the end of innocence

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/09/23

Full Review

Cees T

The edgy inspiration for Ferris Bueller's Day Off. 7.1/10.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/25/23

Full Review

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Paul Brickman

Director

Tom Cruise

Joel Goodsen

Rebecca De Mornay

Lana

Bronson Pinchot

Barry

Joe Pantoliano

Guido

Richard Masur

Rutherford

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Risky Business: Trailer 1

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

Risky Business, a movie about a nice boy losing his virginity, is a first-time director's clear failure that I normally wouldn't get belligerent about, but the picture is so confused, so strange, and so openly corrupt that I can't resist.

Dec 31, 2019

Full Review

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

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.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 30, 2009

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

One of the finest film explorations of the end of innocence.

Aug 6, 2007

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

If The Graduate and The Apartment had a 1980s baby...

Rated: 3/4

Aug 21, 2023

Full Review

James Croot

Stuff.co.nz

Very much a product of its Reagan-era time, Risky Business’ inherent sexism and boys’ own adventure-approach has dated rather badly:.. However, it is also a rare film of its ilk that actually comes with consequences.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 20, 2023

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

It’s sexy, smart and funny, but also stylish and filled with social satire and commentary on the culture of money. Under the sexual fantasies is an anxiety about sex and success and a superbly cynical portrait of capitalist enterprise...

May 6, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

Ecstatic when his parents leave on vacation for a few days, high school senior Joel Goodsen (Tom Cruise) cuts loose with his best friend Miles. After an attempt at securing the services of a prostitute goes slightly awry, Joel hires gorgeous Lana (Rebecca De Mornay) for a night of delight. Stunned by the amount of Lana's "bill" the next morning, Joel grows frantic after he crashes his father's Porsche. In an effort to raise lots of money fast, a desperate Joel turns the house into a brothel.

Director: Paul Brickman
Screenwriter: Paul Brickman
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros.
Production Co: Geffen Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 5, 1983, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2008
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround

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