A sly piece of pop subversion, this irresistible satire of Reagan-era materialism features Tom Cruise in his star-is-born breakthrough as a Chicago suburban prepster whose college-bound life spirals out of control when his parents go out of town for the week and an enterprising call girl (Rebecca De Mornay) invites him to walk on the wild side. While Cruise boogying in his briefs yielded one of the most iconic pop-cultural moments of the 1980s, it is the film’s unexpected mix of tender romance (enhanced by a moody synth score by Tangerine Dream) and sharp-witted capitalist critique that remains fresh and daring.

—The Criterion Collection

Listen to the You Must Remember This episode that inspired this screening:
1983: MTV AESTHETICS, FLASHDANCE AND RISKY BUSINESS (EROTIC 80S PART 6)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.