The Film
Remember the giddy days of the early '80s when Tom Cruise was "Tom Who?" You know, that guy who was so funny in Risky Business. (For our younger readers, yes, Tom Cruise can be funny.) This was before the wanton obnoxiousness and "Patriotism Light" (or patrioxousness as I like to call it) of Top Gun, and no one could have predicted his rapid descent into smug arrogance that would forever taint one of the great movie star legacies.
But at a time when Porky's was the standard for teen sex comedies, filmmaker Paul Brickman pitched a sophisticated, intelligent, honest coming-of-age tale set in the well-to-do suburbs of Chicago. Of course he was turned down by every major studio before ultimately securing the green light. Yes, Joel Goodsen (Cruise), the young man at the center of it all, does fantasize quite a bit about getting laid, but there is so much more depth to him, both before and after he hires impossibly beautiful prostitute Lana (Rebecca De Mornay) and winds up turning his parents' home into a brothel for one night.
The Picture
Sitting in a Paramus, New Jersey theater way back in 1983, I immediately recognized that Risky Business didn't look like any other comedy I'd seen. The two credited cinematographers often shot it dark, much of it at night, to underscore the themes of angst, lust, capitalism and uncertainty. On Blu-ray, the 1.85:1 image is slightly soft, although faces are usually sharp, definitely with some mild grain but it is more filmic than digital. Colors have a little more pop, from the period pastels to the red and white of Joel's varsity jacket, and blacks are realistic, but unevenly lit/unevenly focused scenes are a little twitchy. No major problems here, though: This is its best home video presentation by far.
Risky Business packs a new Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix, and the benefits are evident right from the directionality of the train and traffic in the opening shot. There's also a nice low bass rumble on the family Porsche, but the car chase with Guido the Killer Pimp was a missed opportunity for a potential showoff chapter. The real star of this soundtrack is the music, as multichannel remixes of popular songs are folded into the onscreen action sometimes prominently, sometimes quietly. But of course the synthesizer score by Tangerine Dream is the movie's sonic signature, compositions of such complexity and panache that they beg for the best possible reproduction. Depth, clarity and dynamic range are unmistakably enhanced here by the TrueHD treatment.
Curiously, the disc defaults to its Dolby Digital 5.1 track, which is the first audio option. It also begins playing the movie automatically, once the disc is inserted, completely bypassing all of the menus. So you'll have to go out of your way a bit to pick the correct lossless track (Dolby TrueHD) from the menu or audio button on your player's remote.
The Extras
Silver anniversaries only come once, so Warner is celebrating with some long overdue bonus features. "The Dream is Always the Same: The Story of Risky Business" provides a solid overview of the movie's origins, production and reception, incorporating a few brief outtakes, but it is somewhat redundant if we watch any of the other supplements. The 29-and-a-half minute mini-documentary is presented in high-definition.
The "Director's Cut of the Final Scene of Risky Business" runs seven-and-a-half minutes, including the entire end credit roll to make it complete. We're finally shown the more somber ending that Brickman had always envisioned, but the difference is not as drastic as we'd been led to expect. It's not watered down, but it is open to interpretation. The screen test featurette begins with some reflections from Cruise and De Mornay before eleven solid minutes of the two stars, as teenagers, interacting on camera for the first time, finding their roles with the help of the director, who steps in from time to time.
We are also given a running video commentary, following a funny little introduction. It's not active for the entire movie, but participants Cruise, Brickman and producer Jon Avnet find different ways to keep us interested. Worth noting is that this Blu-ray exclusive feature is viewable only with the pop-up window, which is to say that we cannot access it as audio-only, although such a commentary is available on the DVD.
Final Thoughts
For better or worse, Risky Business made Tom Cruise a movie star. It is a stylish, inventive, and extremely funny comedy that defies its own genre to give us real characters with real problems. Warner's technical presentation pleases the senses while their generous complement of new bonuses seals the deal. Still not convinced? C'mon, sometimes you just have to say, "What the heck!"
Where to Buy:
Product Details:
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Movie | |
| Extras |
