It's easy to hate Michael J. Fox's "Gee Whiz Doc! I dropped the coke in the toilet!" performance but please consider all the other serious contenders for movie moronistocracy here. Keifer is SUPPOSED to be playing a successful, EDUCATED (if decadent) Ivy league Preppie, not a scuzzy New Jersey druggie. His accent veers wildly from Brooklyn Paluka to Malibu surfer. Frances Sternhagen spits out every line with the a cartoonish venom of a spinster schoolmarm and Swoozy Kurtz is positively motherly as his long-suffering, over-concerned colleague (who he makes a pass at in the book but here she seems to be more interested than he is for presumably obvious reasons). Jason Robards makes a wasted (and I do mean wasted) cameo as a slurry by-the-numbers drunk. Even John Houseman looks disoriented and uncomfortable in his role as the boss editor. But the worst is Fox's real-life wife Tracy Pollan. Supposed to be the bookish, intellectual cousin of Sutherland's character, she is a blonde bobblehead indistinguishable from the other blonde bobbleheads who populate the nightclub scenes. The only thing remotely watchable in this movie (mesmerizing actually) is Fox's hand. He rubs his face, bites his nail, scratches his chin and when it gets wrapped it a bandage following a ferret bite (! don't ask), then the hand really starts working overtime. At least it helps pass the 2 hours because there is nothing else going on in this star-studded fiasco. And yes, the book is brilliant. Go read the book instead.

I had only watched this film a couple months back, and I just had the urge to watch it again. You know what… if I want to, I could watch it tonight with no hesitation. I don't know why, but "Bright Lights, Big City" simply impressed me. Watching it the second time around, I picked up on a lot symbolic parallels running through the effectively told story on substance abuse / addiction. Not that they weren't noticeable the first time, but on this occasion they simply clicked. Another thing was the staying power of Michael J. Fox's outstanding central performance. He sells it, a multi-facet turn as a character truly lost under the alluring yuppie Manhattan nightlife scene of neon lights, drugs, alcohol and women. One day wasted after another, where it's hard to distinguish the morphing days and what becomes a downward spiral into descent. And why this option to escape personal damage, because he can't handle what's in front of him. Double vodka and lines of coke. Yeah the character forgets his hurt for the time being, but the effect of this culture deadens him from reality and inspirations. This means the problems only boil over. He risks his job (although he doesn't love it), family (who he has pushed away after his mother's death of cancer) and importantly his own well-being. So I guess its not particularly a happy-shinny outing and it isn't suppose to be, despite some periods played for laughs (namely the scenes with David Warrilow and a payback prank that gets out of hand involving a ferret), it remains powerfully confronting in its depiction.Jamie Conway finds himself wasting his days in a banally demanding job, because as an aspiring fiction writer he's completely stuck with writer's block and to make matters worse his model wife (Phoebe Cates) left him to advance her career. No explanation why, just gone. And his mum had died of leukaemia, which still seems to haunt him. So in the dumps, he ends up going out every night with his pal Tad (Kiefer Sutherland) getting hammered to only wake-up to go through the same routine again, but the lifestyle begins to catch-up on him. Where he slowly begins to open up his eyes to what's happening to his life, and its coming up to the one-year anniversary of his mother's death.There's a sub-plot running through the narrative, where it has newspapers and TV news shows reporting on a coma baby, that the mother is having trouble giving birth to. This symbolic insert (where it does have one oddly surreal dream sequence) perceives the manner of how Fox's character lives in a bubble (or coma), not wanting to face or hear about reality at first despite his troubled and bitter mindset and best efforts from those who "really" care for him (especially his scenes involving his brother --- admirably performed by Charlie Schlatter). Also the charming Swoosie Kurtz, plays the character Megan which is Jamie's co-worker who can be seen somewhat a surrogate mother figure for Jamie, especially the way she's always picking up after him and calling him to make sure his awake so he's not late at work. Because he's skating on thin ice with the constant attention of the bosses (exemplary performances by Frances Sternhagen and John Houseman) --- coming in late too often and numerous errors finding its way into his work due to a lack of commitment and drive. Eventually after the frustrating build up (losing job, ex-girlfriend back in town), she is the one that he spills his guts out too. Throughout we get peering flashbacks (namely in the mid-to-latter end) of Jamie talking to his bed-ridden mother (an engagingly vibrant Dianne Wiest), where we learn what's happening to her and then she questions him about his life topics. These moments are movingly done, and when he starts thinking of them it becomes a shock to the system in simply facing the facts. Other than Kurtz's character, the other genuine character to help him was Tad's sister Vicky (warmly performed by Tracy Pollan). What Jamie saw in Vicky was someone who was down-to-earth, where he could naturally be around without the use of drugs to liven the occasion. Around her he felt normal, and there was sincerity to their interactions that he could trust and confide. He's reborn (think of coma baby) after his coming to terms telephone conversation with Vicky and utters a memorable line to Tad. While around his yuppie friends (or bad companions); led by Tad (an excellently suave Keifer Sutherland). They didn't really know each other or really took time out to do so. Whenever together it was a shallow illustration of senseless partying throughout long, lost nights. A fitting Phoebe Cates in what small scenes she does have looks great and creates an interestingly vain character that has you totally hook to why she left Jamie. His jealousy of her success really soars in some sequences. Throughout the whole experience you feel like you're in his shoes or better in his head riding the lows.Director James Bridges moodily stylish and slick handling neatly combines the hustle and bustle of the nightlife NY scene. Directionless at times, but efficient. Surrounding the air is an oozing, bluesy music score, which is perfect at expressing the running emotions. Tightly edited and it's well written by Jay McKiernan (adapting his own novel) making good sense of the witty dilogues and character complexities, despite not entirely being clear with the motivations. Edgy location details were superbly brought across."Bright Lights, Big City" is a contemplative character drama with excellent performances grounding it.

Bright Lights, Big City is a 1988 film starring Michael J Fox as a cocaine addicted newspaper editor.The movie shows him and his friend played by Keifer Sutherland, the partying & the coke that they do together, plus some parts of the past.Apparently he does cocaine to forget about how his wife left him and how his mother died.It has been a year since this has happened.There is also some messed up part with a coma baby, which he has a dream sequence about.The acting is fairly good from Fox and Sutherland.There are some fairly powerful dramatic scenes, also one funny scene involving a ferret, also the 1980's soundtrack was fairly good as well, especially "Century's End" by Donald Fagen.But other than that, the film was fairly boring.It was realistic as a lot of business-types were doing cocaine.Movies/Video Games such as "Carlito's Way", "Grand Theft Auto Vice City" & "American Psycho" will show this.I have never read the book and only heard of the author when he was mentioned in Ellis's semi-autobiographical novel "Lunar Park".I personally thought "American Psycho"(another movie which is partly about business types in the 1980's) to be a better movie.This is a decent film, it was just sort of boring.

Jay McInerney's story of a young man's broken life, and his struggle to become somebody, would probably have made better reading than viewing. Director James Bridges finds it hard to give the movie any depth, and the overall plot lacks direction. However, "Bright Lights, Big City" is observant, without ever being powerfully moving. Michael J. Fox does well with the character of Jamie Conway, making him quite believable and easy to identify with. Support comes from Kiefer Sutherland, Phoebe Cates and Swoosie Kurtz.Ending without really resolving itself, this is no must see film, but it's worth a look. Read the book!Wednesday, February 19, 1992 - Video