Bright Lights, Big City (1988)

Director:

James Bridges

Writers (WGA):

Jay McInerney (novel)
Jay McInerney (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 April 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A disillusioned young writer living in New York City turns to drugs and drinking to block out the memories of his dead mother and estranged wife.

Plot Keywords:

Estranged Wife | Dead Mother | Writer | New York City | Magazine

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Michael J. Fox	...	Jamie Conway
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Tad Allagash
Phoebe Cates	...	Amanda
Swoosie Kurtz	...	Megan
Frances Sternhagen	...	Clara
Tracy Pollan	...	Vicky
John Houseman	...	Mr. Vogel
Charlie Schlatter	...	Michael
David Warrilow	...	Rittenhouse
Dianne Wiest	...	Mother
Alec Mapa	...	Yasu Wade
William Hickey	...	Ferret Man
Gina Belafonte	...	Kathy
Sam Robards	...	Rich Vanier
Bernard Zette	...	Stevie (as Zette)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DuArt)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2003) | UK:18 (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) (1989) | Sweden:15 | Australia:R | France:-16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Norway:15

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

CST Telecommunications

Trivia:

This film is based on the novel by Jay McInerney of the same name. The book was also an inspiration for a rock musical of the same name, which premiered in 1999 and later went on to be a studio album.

Goofs:

Continuity: During Jamie's story of his relationship with Amanda to Megan his wineglass goes from half-full to empty in less than two seconds, while he's speaking.

Quotes:

Ferret Man: Wanna buy a ferret?
Jamie Conway: No, thanks.
Ferret Man: His name is Fred...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Freddy's Nightmares: The Light at the End of the Tunnel (#1.20)" (1989)

Soundtrack:

Let's Have Another Cup Of Coffee

Fox was miscast

There are two things that went wrong with this film. First and foremost is that Michael J. Fox is totally miscast for his role. I can understand him wanting to break away from the Alex Keaton character on "Family Ties." But, although he tries, he simply isn't right as a coke-addled, anguished writer. And it knocks the whole film off-kilter. Another problem is that the story doesn't translate easily onto film. There are some compensations- great supporting cast, catchy theme song ("Kiss & Tell" by Bryan Ferry), and excellent use of New York City locations. But they weren't enough to make the film a success, and the disappointing returns at the box office bear this out.