Risky Business (1983)

A Must For A Child of The 80s

One of the real gems of this new 25th Anniversary DVD set is "The Dream is Always the Same": The Story of Risky Business. This documentary provides great insight into all the hurdles Risky Business encountered on its way to the silver screen, with interviews with all the main cast members and Paul Brickman.

The other great addition to this 80's classic is the original ending that Paul Brickman wanted the audience to see in the film. The original ending, as shot by Brickman, had Joel Goodsen being shown as the strong one and Lana the weak one. However, the studios wanted a happier ending and changed it before it was sent to theaters. September 12, 2008

"Ferris Bueller" meets existentialism

"Risky Business" is, in my opinion, along the same lines as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", only deeper, more emotional, and very existential. Just as the theme of Ferris Bueller was that life might pass you buy if you don't stop to smell the roses, the theme of Risky Business is, as stated by the dude from Revenge of the Nerds, "sometimes you just have to say 'What the f*%#!'."

This film goes deeper, however, as it enters the realm of strong sexual longings that anyone of the late teens/early 20s knows all too well, as well as the pressures of parents and of society to "succeed": get into a good college, impress "the man", make your parents dreams a reality, and wear a white collar for the rest of your life. "Risky Business" asks: is it really worth it to sacrifice the experience of life (in this case, the surge of excitement, bittersweet memories, and longing of the late teens/early 20s) just to "be the best you can be"?

The haunting soundtrack by Tangerine Dream, one of my favorite bands, amplifies the bittersweet, reminiscent atmopshere excellently, especially 'Love on a Real Train', which accompanies one of the most haunting and bittersweet scenes in the film and is arguably the most well-known Tangerine Dream track ever, and for good reason.

Like 'The Breakfast Club', this is one of the 80s teen coming-of-age flicks which retains its distinct 80s flavor and relevance to the era as well as being utterly timeless. A masterpiece. August 6, 2008

Time of your life, huh kid?

Risky Business is a fantastic movie, much more complex than the standard teen fare at the time. Great music by Tangerine Dream (written especially for the movie) and strong performances from its young cast, most notably a nineteen year old Tom Cruise and twenty four year old Rebecca De Mornay. (Small side note: Cruise and De Mornay lived together for over two years after making the movie, so the chemistry on-screen must have been pretty real!)

The original end of the movie was much darker than the happy, everything turns out okay version that was released. Both versions were filmed and shown to a test audience, which preferred the happier, lighter version. The original has (to my knowledge) never been released in any form, and I was concerned that it had been lost.

I'm very happy to report that this 25th anniversary release is planned to include a new making-of documentary along with the alternate ending and commentary by Tom Cruise, director Paul Brickman, and producer Jon Avnet.

So, it appears that this is what Risky Business fans have been waiting since 1983 to see! The DVD is scheduled for release on September 16th, so we'll have to wait just a little longer. Keep in mind also that while the press information is normally correct, all of it is subject to change prior to release. But, it certainly looks very promising.

Sean P. Logue, 2008 May 25, 2008

EXCELLENT PRODUCT! GREAT MOVIE!! HAPPY 25 YEARS RISKY BUSINESS!!

Of coarse this is a classic movie!! Happy 25th Anniversary in the movie business Tom Cruise! May 20, 2008

Risky Business DVD

For those of us who grew up and were in high school in the 80's, especially the early 80's I think this is a great movie. Tom Cruise is great as Joel Goodsen, he projects the kind of innocence that I think a lot of us who grew up in the burbs in the 80's had. That time was kind of a throwback, although there was a little drug use such as the pot in the movie, I think the drug culture was not as big as in the mid 60's and 70's. AIDS had still not hit yet. Reagan was king and most kids were nice kids trying to do good in school, please their parents, and set themselves up for a productive future, as Joel in the movie. The story is good, although a little unbeleivable, as a small mistake Joel makes becomes a huge problem. Mainly it reminds me a lot of guys I went to high school with, the clothes we wore, having to ride a bike around instead of driving. All the stuff high school kids in the 80's did and had. It is a great movie and a classic from the era. January 30, 2008

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