A Classic

On the day before I leave for Slamdance and Sundance (yes, in that order), I have another review of a movie. Not so much a review, perhaps, as a series of superlative accolades.

Many movies don’t stand the test of time. There are movies that are absolutely resoundingly well-thought of when they come out, but this approval doesn’t last. There are aspects of a movie that stale, like old milk, in some cases. This can be the case despite great performances, terrific scores, imaginative editing, or a great script. For whatever reason, a movie can fall off. Usually one of these items (often the screenplay) loses its timeliness, its edge. It can become trite. It can be antiquated. For whatever reason, its no longer what it is.

And then there are movies like Risky Business. Made in 1980 by Warner Brother with a young Tom Cruise as Joel Goodson, this movie, which was quite popular across age groups when it came out, isn’t necessarily mentioned as a great film when people talk about the best movies of the 80’s. That is a wrongful omission. This film, to me and my perhaps less than fully trained eye, is one of the very best films of its genre, and of the eighties. Its simply fantastic, and hasn’t lost the edge it had when it came out. Not a bit.

(Forgive me for sounding like a Peter Travers review, but its true).

The story of a teenager left home by his parents, getting into trouble, became a staple of Hollywood’s teen genre (see, e.g. Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead, Adventures in Babysitting, Weird Science and Sixteen Candles (at least the party) to name a few). But none of these movies did this nearly as well as Paul Brickman’s entry to the genre that became one of the princes of the box office and the source of doppelgangers to this day (See, the pleasant but somewhat punchless The Girl Next Door).

Why does the movie stand up so well? I think there are a few reasons. First, the writing, acting, music and editing are all top notch. Richard Chew, the editor, has quite the pedigree, working with Milos Forman on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and George Lucas on the original Star Wars (with Marcia Lucas editing as well). The Tangerine Dream score was ultra modern then, and still holds a minimalist sound that works terrifically in movies today. And the acting, well, bundle together some names of people that went on to substantial careers, even besides Cruise, like Curtis Armstrong, Joe Pantoliano, Bronson Pinchot, Richard Masur (as the Princeton Interviewer) and Rebecca De Morney at her very best, and you have a cast that, in a terrifically directed understated way, moves the story along with an urgency that puts you on the edge of your seat for the whole ride.

So go rent it, or buy it. Particularly if you haven’t seen it (I don’t know how popular the film was outside the US, so maybe some non-US readers haven’t seen it). Even if you aren’t a Tom Cruise fan, I don’t think you should be deterred. It is, frankly, too good to miss.

Go ahead, take a chance. Sometimes you just gotta say, "What the fuck, make your move."