Wednesday, April 23, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Instructor: Paul McEwan, Ph.D., Muhlenberg College
Perhaps best known for the most famous sock slide in cinematic history, Risky Business (1983) has a lot more to offer than simple nostalgia for either the ‘80s or for old time rock and roll. Made during a decade when Hollywood did more to take adolescent life seriously than ever before (or since), we get a compelling story of what happens when a rule-following and college-bound young man, Joel, decides instead to briefly say (in his father’s polite version), “what the heck.”
Risky Business is part of a series of films about suburban life, and the boundary between city and suburb is crucial here. In this telling, Chicago isn’t just a source of excitement and adventure, but also a place of real danger, where the rules that Joel has followed his entire life simply don’t apply.
This was Tom Cruise’s fifth movie, and the beginning of his extraordinary four-decade run as an A-list leading man—a career that very few people have been able to sustain. You can see in this film what made him compelling from a young age, and it isn’t just the movie-star looks. He possesses a teenager’s innocence, and the film uses this as it portrays a genuine coming-of-age. Aided by career-making turns from Rebecca De Mornay and Joe Pantoliano as “Guido, the killer pimp,” we have everything we need for a suburban kid’s dream-turned-nightmare that still manages to be a lot of fun.
Are you interested in “just” seeing this movie? Visit the public screening page here.
Cinema Classics Seminars offer an entertaining and engaging way to learn more about some of the true classics of world cinema. All students receive an introductory lecture before the film and a guided discussion after the film. In addition, those in attendance receive a ticket to see it on the big screen, as well as popcorn and a drink. Please note: the screening associated with this seminar will be open to the public, as well.
Please contact BMFI Programs and Education Coordinator Jill Malcolm with any questions.
$25 for members, $35 for non-members
Schedule