While Wall Street was showing one side of the 1980s persona, the other side could have been easily summed up with the 1983 classic, Risky Business. And maybe it was risky business. After all, its biggest stars were Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay, neither of whom had any experience really carrying a movie. Perhaps that’s what was so great about it – anything is possible if you apply yourself.
Starring as Joel Goodsen, Tom Cruise found his inner teenager living an ideal, youthful existence in the Chicago suburbs. That was until he decided to take his father’s Porche for a spin, accidentally parking it into Lake Michigan. Lucky for Joel he had an enterprising young friend, Lana, who knew just how to solve such a money shortage. All she had to do was get a hold of some of her colleagues, and a brothel party was in the works. Some good son, Joel was. As Joel sinks himself deeper in deeper into the world of pimps, call girls and generally breaking rule after rule, the audience comes along for the ride, and grows a bit from it as well.
Risky Business has since become an 80s movie favorite, a cultural touchstone from which one can recognize youth and exuberance all in one fell swoop. In particular, there’s the famous “Old Time Rock n’ Roll” dance sequence, which wasn’t even scripted. Tom Cruise was told to dance like a teen would to a rock song. The result was moment in time, forever replayed in homage and parody. Heck, if ALF busts out in his briefs to a little Bob Seger, you know you’ve got something big. Another big trend that came from that moment in the film was the sudden popularity of Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses. Risky Business cemented Ray Ban’s position in the sunglasses market in one perfect moment of product placement. At once they screamed rebellion and classic and everyone needed a pair, black preferably.
And surely, everyone feels the same heartfelt gratitude towards Risky Business for bringing Tom Cruise to the forefront of 80s cinema, the perfect romantic lead and dreamboat icon. Clearly, Risky Business was good business.
Starring as Joel Goodsen, Tom Cruise found his inner teenager living an ideal, youthful existence in the Chicago suburbs. That was until he decided to take his father’s Porche for a spin, accidentally parking it into Lake Michigan. Lucky for Joel he had an enterprising young friend, Lana, who knew just how to solve such a money shortage. All she had to do was get a hold of some of her colleagues, and a brothel party was in the works. Some good son, Joel was. As Joel sinks himself deeper in deeper into the world of pimps, call girls and generally breaking rule after rule, the audience comes along for the ride, and grows a bit from it as well.
Risky Business has since become an 80s movie favorite, a cultural touchstone from which one can recognize youth and exuberance all in one fell swoop. In particular, there’s the famous “Old Time Rock n’ Roll” dance sequence, which wasn’t even scripted. Tom Cruise was told to dance like a teen would to a rock song. The result was moment in time, forever replayed in homage and parody. Heck, if ALF busts out in his briefs to a little Bob Seger, you know you’ve got something big. Another big trend that came from that moment in the film was the sudden popularity of Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses. Risky Business cemented Ray Ban’s position in the sunglasses market in one perfect moment of product placement. At once they screamed rebellion and classic and everyone needed a pair, black preferably.
And surely, everyone feels the same heartfelt gratitude towards Risky Business for bringing Tom Cruise to the forefront of 80s cinema, the perfect romantic lead and dreamboat icon. Clearly, Risky Business was good business.
