"Risky Business" may ultimately be a well-liked film but it is now perceived by many as a dated relic, remembered more for Tom Cruise dancing to "Old Time Rock and Roll" than for its sharp satire, excellent dialogue, and stylish visual sensibility and use of music. Thankfully it remains a widely-praised film among critics (there is not one negative review on Rotten Tomatoes) who seem to appreciate it more than modern audiences, specifically younger modern audiences. Most insulting of all the dismissals is the suggestion that this is little more than a male fantasy flick.
Paul Brickman (also responsible for writing Jonathan Demme's greatest film, "Handle with Care") achieved something truly great here- he took the much-maligned, generally moronic high school sex comedy and turned it into something much more, a surprisingly effective romance with some really dark, contemplative moments, as well as a healthy dose of irony and symbolism which elevates the script to a whole new level. Moreover, this is more of a movie about 80's materialism and suburbia (and the satire here is wonderfully understated and played just right, just obvious enough for the less intelligent or less focused among us to notice but not heavy-handed at all) than about teenagers having sex. Even the large part of the film that deals with call girls, pimps, and the teen male fantasy is loaded with irony and satire. Only in its most superficial elements is "Risky Business" a teen sex comedy.
Of course one could say that Brickman is having it both ways- "Risky Business" was a massive hit within the exact same capitalist system he's satirizing here, but that doesn't harm the finished result of the film itself, which is still as sharp and bitter as it always has been. I know nothing about Brickman but I assume that he's either lazy, disillusioned, or just as rich as he wants to be because his lack of a lengthy career as a director is surprising; "Risky Business" boasts fine cinematography but also a dark, dreamlike style full of what Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader describes as 'sinuous camera movements and surrealistic insinuations'. Brickman's handling of tone is also superb- the movie is never too dark, never too sunny, always maintaining a tone of 'haunting, lyrical satire' to quote Dave Kehr yet again (because his capsule review says all there is to be said about the film in a short paragraph, go search for it). Also contributing to the atmosphere is the amazing Tangerine Dream score and the effective use of popular songs.
I don't want to sell the film short on its superficial merits either; it you want to laugh this is a very, very funny film, and it works fine on the basic level of a comedy (though it's not anywhere near as raunchy as some fans of the genre would probably want it to be). Tom Cruise makes for an excellent lead and the supporting characters and actors are all memorable as well (who doesn't love Guido the Killer Pimp?). "Risky Business" is perhaps the only truly great film that can be called a 'teen sex comedy', and remains a completely worthwhile film so many years after its release.
No comments:
Post a Comment