RISKY BUSINESS

US, 1983, 94 minutes, Colour.
Tom Cruise, Rebecca de Mornay, Joe Pantoliano, Richard Masur, Curtis Armstrong.
Directed by Paul Brickman.

Risky Business, one of the top-grossing films in the United States in the 1983 summer, is in the trend of 'soft core porn' for teenagers: the Brooke Shields- Christopher Atkins Blue Lagoon in some sense led the way; other films include My Tutor, Zapped, Private School. This film was released at the same time as Class and comparisons were made. While Class focused on adolescents and adults, there were themes of comradeship, success and class distinctions in American society. The elements of these are also in Risky Business - with tongue-in-cheek, almost cynical, comments and jokes at the expense of American know-how, future enterprises and money
making.

However, the plot of Risky Business seems preposterous. While Tom Cruise's Joel is an attractive young man, his transformation from ordinary young man into adolescent pimp is not credible. (Here the film echoes the much more successful Night Shift.)

The film focuses on sex and has a snickering tone which dominates any personal or social comment that might be being made. While the film is technically accomplished and has some humorous touches, its focus on sex and violence in affluent Chicago seem objectionable. It is interesting to note that the young men with their ambitions to get into Princeton and their stag behaviour of card parties etc are presented as not having any girlfriends. Call-girls and prostitution seem the obvious kind of 'service' which is referred to. The whole tone of the film indicates a low tone in American morals - especially as the hero and heroine speculate on where they will be ten years
hence and the hero finally gets into Princeton because of his successful 'business'.

The film indicates Chicago as the place of organised crime and is parodying it.

While the film is geared towards adolescents, it gives a fairly phoney picture and an unrealistic picture, no matter how well intentioned aspects of the realism and the satire may be.