Tom Cruise Gets His First Criterion Collection Movie Added

Tom Cruise has been one of the biggest Hollywood stars for four decades, and has starred in almost 50 movies, but until today, none of them have been represented in the most prestigious film collection in the world — the Criterion Collection. The home media distributor collects the greatest or most culturally important films of all time and immaculately restores them and curates magnificent special features. And now, Cruise’s 1983 film Risky Business will be the 1,227th movie added to the collection.

The Criterion Collection announced its inclusion today, April 15, with the film being released in 4K UHD (and Blu-ray) on July 23. Their summary of the film, famous for its underwear lip-sync scene, reads as follows:

”
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.”

Risky Business

Release Date

August 5, 1983

Director

Paul Brickman

Runtime

98

Writers

Paul Brickman

Studio

Geffen Pictures

Risky Business Special Features and Other July Releases for Criterion

It’s an interesting choice for the Criterion Collection, with many other Cruise films being considered superior (Collateral, Eyes Wide Shut, The Color of Money, Magnolia). Of course, there are licensing issues to be considered, but there are certainly good reasons for the inclusion of Risky Business. It’s the film that truly announced Cruise as a cinematic presence, while also playfully deconstructing the typical sex comedies that were so popular at the time (Porky’s, Revenge of the Nerds). The special features are as follows.

• New 4K digital restorations of the director’s cut and the original theatrical release, supervised and approved by director Paul Brickman and producer Jon Avnet, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks
• One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• Audio commentary for the original theatrical release featuring Brickman, Avnet, and actor Tom Cruise
• New interviews with Avnet and casting director Nancy Klopper
• New conversation between editor Richard Chew and film historian Bobbie O’Steen
• The Dream Is Always the Same: The Story of “Risky Business,” a program featuring interviews with Brickman, Avnet, cast members, and others
• Screen tests with Cruise and actor Rebecca De Mornay
• Trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

2:35

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Risky Business joins several other films for Criterion’s July releases. There’s a 4K UHD restoration of the all-time classic, Le Samouraï, perhaps the coolest film ever made. Farewell, My Concubine is getting a release after its beautiful restoration in 2023. Black God, White Devil will get a release, finally bringing the brilliant Brazilian Western to the masses. Wim Wenders’ astonishing 2023 film Perfect Days will get a home media release from Criterion, as well. Perhaps the best inclusion of them all, however, is Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, Sam Peckinpah’s underrated, melancholic Western masterpiece with a score from Bob Dylan. You can pre-order Risky Business below:

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