Bright Lights, Big City (1988)

 Bright Lights, Big City (1988)

In 1988’s Bright Lights, Big City, Michael J. Fox goes out of his comfort zone to deliver a strong performance unlike anyone has seen from him before. Sadly, that is the only thing interesting about the movie. It is a tale about finding life’s bottom and from there, the film meanders. Sometimes, booze and cocaine does not always make for primetime viewing even if it is Mr. Fox on the receiving end of these drugs. The characters, even if the actual performances from the actors are fine, did not interest me. The screenplay was on the weaker side, and I did not care for the ending. In the end, I was disappointed because director James Bridges has potential. He tackled a similar story with his 1980 film, Urban Cowboy. In both movies, the script underwhelmed wasting the talents of John Travolta in the aforementioned film and Fox here.

The film is based off a bestselling novel from Jay McInerney. People of the 80’s say the book spoke to their generation. It might have been a wrong time to adapt the novel because of the government push to curb drug use (just look at Nancy Reagan’s program). Studios were scared to adapt the darker side of the book which created a rocky road during production. The way the film was delivered to the silver screen made for better drama that the actual product unfortunately.

The film first intended to be directed by Joel Schumacher and starred Tom Cruise. Producer Jerry Weintraub was going to produce but because of various changes, the script was kept in lingo which made both Schumacher and Cruise leave the project. Eventually, Fox was hired as the lead and Joyce Chopra signed on to direct with Sydney Pollack producing (who apparently hated the novel). The script was changed because the darker sections were omitted and was vastly different from the novel. Studio executives were worried about Chopra’s on-set management and did not like what she did with the film so like what many studios did to female directors at the time, she was let go. (According to Chopra, the studio executives were hypocritical). James Bridges was hired last minute, and he hired Gordon Willis as the cinematographer (he gave the film a sleek look). Basically, he was rewriting the script as production went on. He did add back some the darker elements that were removed. Sooooooo yes, it is very noticeable how weak the screenplay is.

Jamie Conway (Michael J. Fox) is a twenty-something living in New York City. Jamie has been rocked hard personally because of his mother’s (Dianne Wiest) death and the sudden abandonment of his wife, Amanda (Phoebe Cates) who struck it big as a model. In order to cope with the turmoil surrounding his personal life, he takes to constant consumption of alcohol and cocaine with his friend, Tad (Kiefer Sutherland). His reckless partying affects his job too. He is a fact checker at a major magazine that prides itself in its factual accuracy. He plans to be a writer for the magazine, but he may be let go from the company if he fails his upcoming assignment. When Amanda abruptly arrives back in the city, Jamie is going to do what he can to see her.

If anything good happened in the movie, it would be the performances. People see Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, but often fail to notice he does have good acting chops. He takes a role that is a complete 180 from what people are accustomed to…and does a great job! In addition, Jason Robards was a last-minute addition when James Bridges came onboard to direct. He is Mr. Hardy, a drunk writer for the same magazine. Both actors share some mesmerizing scenes together. Otherwise, the supporting cast do a decent job but nothing truly special.

Bright Lights, Big City was just not my cup of tea. I like how the film tries to explore what happens when one reaches his/her limits. We have all been there. The problem is that the film meanders and its exploration is often weak. The film had a hard time keeping my interest. That said, Michael J. Fox does save the movie from a failing grade. He gives something different and that is refreshing. He proved that he does not need his squeaky-clean family image to deliver an interesting performance.

My Grade: C-