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Risky Business

(1983, Rated R, Comedy, Starring Tom Cruise, Richard Masur, Rebecca DeMornay)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 16, age appropriate for kids over 99; suggested age 16.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Sexy Cruise classic still a risky choice for kids.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–18

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Though Joel "Goodson" (that name is Irony 101) doesn't get to keep his ill-gotten earnings, he otherwise escapes punishment in the end and wins much greater prizes: a boost in life and an evident discovery of his destiny, which is to become rich and materially successful. He doesn't seem "evil" or "corrupt" in the traditional sense (he worries about the welfare of his girlfriend-whore Lana even as he believes she used and betrayed him), but definitely has no problem with being a pimp. Prostitution looks like a temptingly glamorous (and self-empowering) career choice, and just about all female characters are treacherous tramps or harsh authoritarians. Obviously this was meant as satire of 1980s values, but it comes across as close to an endorsement.

  • Violence:

    Reckless driving and car collisions; a gun waved around.

  • Sex:

    Sex and prostitution are key plot ingredients, with brief full-frontal female nudity, and girls in skimpy, provocative clothes. Simulated sex, in dream sequences and even in public places, and talk of masturbation. One sex worker is a cross-dressing man.

  • Language:

    The F-word is used repeatedly, including in what would be the script's catchphrase: "Sometimes you just have to say `What the f--k.'" Plus "s--t," "asshole," and "damn."

  • Consumerism:

    The status-symbol Porsche automobile and Princeton University get major thumbs-up.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Much tobacco-smoking, specifically intended to signify a young character as "cool." Underaged drinking of alcohol and smoking of marijuana.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Risky Business

Parents need to know that this popular comedy is also very deservedly R-rated. It has sex (both in comical fantasy scenes and reality), nudity, profanity, glorified substance abuse, and an especially jaundiced outlook: a teen embarks on the road to manhood by becoming a part-time pimp, and the message is that in modern America that's a wise move, financially and socially. Because the young hero is played by good-guy star Tom Cruise, and because his character escapes punishment in the end, young viewers might interpret this as an endorsement, not a subversive satire.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the character of Joel and the message beneath the movie's mordantly amusing comedy. What has Joel gained by the end? Has it made him a better person? Do you think Lana intending to trick him all along? What would you do in Joel's predicament? How does this sexy comedy compare to sex comedies today, like Superbad?
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