Risky Business (1983)

Risky Business

• JUST TAKE THOSE OLD RECORDS OFF THE SHELF! I definitely enjoyed this the first time around, though it wasn’t anything amazing to me. However, now that it settled into my brain, this was much more fun on a rewatch. I’m convinced that this film walked so Ferris Bueller could run. This is such a fun and goofy 80’s film for sure, and it’s iconic for a reason. It’s just a little over 90 minutes, so it jumps straight into the story and characters, and you just gotta hold on until the end. There’s a lot of similar elements from this that I’ve seen in other films of the era, so it’s not anything that groundbreaking, but it stands out because of Tom Cruise and his escapades. Young Tom Cruise (or heck, any version of Tom Cruise) is total eye candy, and I need him so bad. He plays the role well, and makes the whole thing feel very grounded, despite all the mishaps he has. The story revolves around him having some typical (or atypical) misadventures while his parents are away, and it all spirals out of control. Much like Ferris Bueller. I think the best thing the film did was center the story around just an average teen, rather than having someone with a big huge personality. That’s what I mean by “grounded”. There’s a lot of moments that are very relatable and real, rather than something blown out of proportion, even though basically the whole film is….blown out of proportion. That makes no sense, but it does. It’s definitely not a film to take too seriously, but it still feels pretty authentic. The cinematography isn’t anything special, but I still love the way the film looks, with some good looking night time scenes, while also utilizing the human body to help push the narrative. Lastly, the soundtrack is arguably the best part of the whole film. It stuck out amazingly, and adds such a great vibe to it. A stereotypical, 80s vibe, but still an awesome vibe. There’s great needle drops from Bob Seger, Phil Collins, and Talking Heads, the latter which I was especially happy about. Overall, the film isn’t generational, but stands out for many reasons, and it’s quite fun. I’d recommend this to all teen comedy fans, especially if you like ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ or ‘The Breakfast Club’. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!