Bright Lights, Big City |  | Director: James Bridges
Actors: Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland, Phoebe Cates, Swoosie Kurtz, Frances Sternhagen
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $5.98
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Rating:  31 reviews
Sales Rank: 21154
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 107 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: D1004810D
ISBN: 0792857283
UPC: 027616888402
EAN: 9780792857280
ASIN: B00009OWJR
Theatrical Release Date: April 1, 1988
Release Date: August 5, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 5-AUG-2003
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com
Michael J. Fox plays the most sympathetic cocaine addict you've ever seen in the movie of Jay McInerney's popular novel Bright Lights, Big City, the book that famously chronicled the coke- and cash-fueled era of the 1980s. Jamie Conway (Fox) works as a fact-checker for a major New York magazine, but because he spends his nights partying with his glib best friend (Kiefer Sutherland), he's on the verge of getting fired. His wife, a fast-rising model (Phoebe Cates), just left him; he's still reeling from the death of his mother (Dianne Wiest) a year earlier; and he's obsessed with a tabloid story about a pregnant woman in a coma. Bright Lights, Big City doesn't have much of a plot, but in its meandering way it captures some of the glossy chaos of the time and of a man desperately trying to escape the pain in his life. --Bret Fetzer
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 31
 THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO BE A "FUN" film--get over it people! January 7, 2010
prophet-5 (NYC)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
All the negative reviews here lead me to believe that people just don't get this film. It's not great by any stretch of the word, but it is good for what it is.
It paints a grim (but realistic) view of what life could be like in Manhattan if you were depressed, disillusioned, and had a cocaine habit.
The fact that this is probably the only film in existence with this much footage shot at the Palladium, NYC (which no longer exists), is worth the price of admission.
I also find it strange that nobody is commenting on the MUSIC!! The soundtrack is excellent, and propels the film very effictively.
How can you go wrong with Prince, Donald Fagen, New Order, & Bryan Ferry?
Good movie.
Surprisingly less dated than expected May 29, 2009
Bradley F. Smith (Miami Beach, FL)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Despite being almost 30 years old, this 80s relic still looks relatively undated, a tribute to the designer of the film. Michael J. Fox, however, is a poor lead, looking impossibly fresh and cherubic no matter how many lines of coke he does or drinks he consumes. He is way too innocent-looking for the role, which would have been better with the lizardy Kiefer Sutherland in the lead and someone else as Ted Allagash, the debauched pal. Whatever happened to Phoebe Cates? She doesn't look good here, with a bad pixie haircut. The book, as usual, is way better.
Go On With Your Life Already! February 26, 2009
Bradley Headstone (New York)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an interesting movie in that it shows us how weak we can be about the plainest points when we are emotionally involved.
The story is basically this. Jamie Conway (Michael J. Fox) is struggling to keep an editing job he doesn't especially like. Though he does need it. His boss Claire is less than kind, though not quite a monster. She is often nasty, though she does seem to give him the benefit of the doubt sometimes, and she does tolerate his lateness to work that seems to have increased.
Later, we learn that Michael J. Fox is broken emotionally because his wife Amanda left him. Though we can readily see that she was just using him because she thought Fox would make it big as a writer, and as it turned out, she made it big as a model and decided she had no more use for Fox. This is where things get interesting. Because Fox is emotionally involved, he can't see that his wife was just an opportunist who was after anyone who could either support her, or move her into opportunities. So, he dwells and dwells on her to the point where he can not go on with his life.
This brings us to Ted Alagash. (Kiefer Sutherland) The movie seems to lead us into more sympathy with Fox. And at times, Sutherland does seem insensitive, and yes he does have a harsh sense of humor about Fox's sadness. But if we allow ourselves to be objective, we can see that Sutherland is tired of hearing about Fox's wife, and Sutherland is basically trying to tell Fox: "Enough! Go on with your life already!"
An obvious example is when Sutherland asks Fox to go out with his attractive cousin. Sutherland outlines the situation nicely when he makes this comment about Amanda: "God knows she wasn't hard to look at. I don't know why you felt you had to marry her though."
Throughout the movie, Fox, Sutherland, and their friends are portrayed as drug users. But a fine point worth considering is that Sutherland controls his drug intake. With Fox, it is clear that the drugs are controlling him. (It is also worth noting that Fox was into drugs before his wife left him.)
Things go from bad to worse as Fox loses his job. But he is still obsessed with his wife. I don't want to ruin the movie for those of you who haven't seen it, but there is an interesting outcome.
I'll just say that sometimes triumph comes from stepping outside of ourselves and realizing that there is more to life than our own existence.
One complaint I have about the movie is that at one point near the end, Fox compares Sutherland to Amanda which makes no sense. Amanda left Fox because there were offers that she considered better for her. Throughout the movie, Sutherland has been trying to convince Fox to go on with his life. Yes, his humor is harsh at times. But often, that is a way people use to tell others how absurd they are being in their self pity.
While not perfect, it is certainly interesting.
 Surprisingly Slow-Paced for a Movie About a Cokehead February 13, 2009
Andrew Shaffer (Davenport, Iowa)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Much love and respect to Michael J. Fox. Agreeing to be cast as a cokehead at a time that he was one of the biggest comedic stars in Hollywood takes balls. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't fire on all cylinders. It could be that movie-making has matured in the past two decades. For a movie called "Bright Lights," the movie's cinematography is oddly muted. The pace is also dated, but..."Bright Lights Big City" is painfully s-l-o-w.
Fox snorts coke for an hour and a half, talks about writing a novel, and pines for his estranged wife. To say his character is disillusioned is an understatement. At one point, he says his job is "pretty tedious." I couldn't agree more.
 Bright Lights, Big City October 28, 2008
R. Spencer (Alexandria, VA USA)
This is a pretty good film depicting the darker side of the 1980s. The story behind the lead character in the film (portrayed by Michael J. Fox) is one that takes a turn for the worse but leaves the viewer with a glimmer of hope. This film encapsulates the indifference of the fast-paced professional world as it collides with the toxic indulgences of the 1980s.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 31
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