Paul Brickman

Risky Business

Risky Business

A sly piece of pop subversion, this irresistible satire of Reagan-era materialism features Tom Cruise in his star-is-born breakthrough as a Chicago suburban prepster whose college-bound life spirals out of control when his parents go out of town for the week and an enterprising call girl (Rebecca De Mornay) invites him to walk on the wild side. While Cruise boogying in his briefs yielded one of the most iconic pop-cultural moments of the 1980s, it is the film’s unexpected mix of tender romance (enhanced by a moody synth score by Tangerine Dream) and sharp-witted capitalist critique that remains fresh and daring.

Film Info

  • United States
  • 1983
  • 99 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.85:1
  • English
  • Spine #1227

DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 4K digital restorations of the director’s cut and the original theatrical release, supervised and approved by director Paul Brickman and producer Jon Avnet, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks
  • One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
  • Audio commentary for the original theatrical release featuring Brickman, Avnet, and actor Tom Cruise
  • New interviews with Avnet and casting director Nancy Klopper
  • New conversation between editor Richard Chew and film historian Bobbie O’Steen
  • The Dream Is Always the Same: The Story of “Risky Business,” a program featuring interviews with Brickman, Avnet, cast members, and others
  • Screen tests with Cruise and actor Rebecca De Mornay
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by film curator and critic Dave Kehr

    New cover illustration by Jeremy Enecio

Purchase Options

DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 4K digital restorations of the director’s cut and the original theatrical release, supervised and approved by director Paul Brickman and producer Jon Avnet, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks
  • One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
  • Audio commentary for the original theatrical release featuring Brickman, Avnet, and actor Tom Cruise
  • New interviews with Avnet and casting director Nancy Klopper
  • New conversation between editor Richard Chew and film historian Bobbie O’Steen
  • The Dream Is Always the Same: The Story of “Risky Business,” a program featuring interviews with Brickman, Avnet, cast members, and others
  • Screen tests with Cruise and actor Rebecca De Mornay
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by film curator and critic Dave Kehr

    New cover illustration by Jeremy Enecio
Risky Business
Cast
Tom Cruise
Joel Goodsen
Rebecca De Mornay
Lana
Curtis Armstrong
Miles Dalby
Bronson Pinchot
Barry
Joe Pantoliano
Guido
Richard Masur
Bill Rutherford
Janet Carroll
Mrs. Goodsen
Nicholas Pryor
Mr. Goodsen
Shera Danese
Vicki
Raphael Sbarge
Glenn
Bruce A. Young
Jackie
Credits
Director
Paul Brickman
Written by
Paul Brickman
Produced by
Jon Avnet
Produced by
Steve Tisch
Associate producer
James O’Fallon
Edited by
Richard Chew
Casting by
Nancy Klopper
Director of photography
Reynaldo Villalobos
Director of photography
Bruce Surtees
Music composed and performed by
Tangerine Dream
Production designer
William J. Cassidy

Current

Risky Business: Coming of Age in Reagan’s America
Risky Business: Coming of Age in Reagan’s America

Unlike the string of early-1980s sex comedies that it superficially resembles, Paul Brickman’s debut feature fuses fierce social satire and dark, dreamy eroticism with unexpectedly rich and ambiguous results.

By Dave Kehr