In Paul Brickman's teen comedy RISKY BUSINESS, Joel Goodson (Cruise) is a diligent high schooler, who is actually seen swotting at home even during his parents' absence, but abetted by his friend Miles (Armstrong), sometimes one simply needs to hang loose and pursue some sexual gratification, Joel contacts a call girl Lana (De Mornay), soon things start to get out of his control, it is easy to invite her in, but ask her to leave, that's an entirely different matter.
Sex and money make pat bedfellows in Brickman's script, when Joel has an accident with his father's Porsche (something is clearly off-limit for him, but even for a good boy, the temptation to flaunt is too hard to suppress), he is hurt for money to cover the repair cost, and Lana's counsel of a one-night-only escort business is the quickest way to achieve that goal, as simple as that, the whole scheme operates swimmingly.
Immersed in the contentment of Chicagoan suburbia and the typical American value of capitalism and materialism-Joel attends an extracurricular activity called “Future Enterprisers” to prepare students for opening small business, and in the event, the yardstick of their scholastic achievement is purely monetary gain , by that standard, Joel's one-time bash at that particularly shady walk of life is head and shoulders above his competitors, the film shamelessly revels in the instant gratification that the killer combo can offer, and runs away with the unflinching male gaze (it is a heteronormative boy's club), it is also alarming that in spite of Joel's easy-earned profit is ultimately extorted by Lana's pimp Guido (Pantoliano), yet, he is only slapped on the wrist for the mischief and even being accepted by the Princeton University,which speaks volumes of the whole overachieving value the society at large insidiously espouses, that is a questionable move.
A 20-year-old Tom Cruise grabs this breakout opportunity with flying colors, an all-American teen throb is rolled out to market Ray-Ban Wayfarer, Porsche automobile and the call-girl fantasy, it is hard to imagine whoever else, among his peers, could've stepped in his shoes with more pizzazz, his dancing and lip-syncing in the tune of Bob Seger's OLD TIME ROCK AND ROLL has become the iconic clip of teenage abandon.
Ms. De Mornay has a trickier role to pull off, gratuitously sexualized and perpetually aloof and indecipherable, her Lana is the girlfriend experience with a canny mind, the optimum idealization of a straight man's towards a working girl, whose predilection of making love on fantasy board a zipping Chicago “L” train summarizes the sign of the times: attention, speed and pleasure, of which RISKY BUSINESS pins its colors to the mast.
referential entries: John Hughes' FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF (1986, 7.7/10); Olivia Wilde's BOOKSMART (2019, 6.8/10).
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