Street Date Sept. 16
Warner
Comedy
$19.97 DVD, $28.99 two-disc Blu-ray
Rated ‘R'
Stars Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay

For some, Tom Cruise’s recent media outbursts of affection for his wife and his religion have made it difficult to watch many of his earlier films because his screen image conflicts with what he’s become. So it’s a credit to Cruise, aided by Paul Brickman’s excellent direction and script, that the actor’s work in this now classic coming-of-age comedy remains his most likeable and vulnerable performance, even 25 years after its initial release.

Describing the plot, which cleverly captures the moral values of young people in the 1980s, is near impossible. Let’s just say it’s the best film ever to combine capitalism, suburban hookers, high-school growing pains, the perils of playing with your parents’ Porsche and the joys of singing in your underwear to a Bob Seger song.

As Lana, the hooker who would sell her heart if it were made of gold, Rebecca De Mornay has the sexuality and style that makes her one of cinema’s most memorable objects of desire. She and Cruise, whose screen tests are shown in a truly special quartet of special features, define the essence of screen chemistry and reveal how they got to that place where stardom is born.

Beside a commentary by producer Jon Avent, Brickman and Cruise, there’s an informative original documentary and the director’s cut of the final scene, which should have ended the still-entertaining movie.