Bright Lights, Big City

R

1988

1 hr. 50 min.

Drama

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List

60%

20 Reviews

Tomatometer

38%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In this adaptation of Jay McInerney's novel, Jamie Conway (Michael J. Fox) moves from small-town Kansas to New York City to work at a magazine. However, a number of things are making him miserable: He would rather be a writer, his wife (Phoebe Cates) has left him and his mother (Dianne Wiest) has recently died. So he takes to partying with his yuppie friend Tad (Kiefer Sutherland), abusing alcohol and cocaine. But he quickly finds himself becoming more and more dependent on drinking and drugs.

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Audience Member

It's a big city with bright lights but that doesn't mean everything is shining brightly The late James Bridges directs Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland, and Phoebe Cates Jaime is miserable having moved to NYC from Kansas; he would rather be a writer than be at his job, is divorced from his fast-rising model wife, and his mother just passed away He hangs with his buddy Tad drowning in alcohol and drugs His dependency starts increasing too as his many one-night stands with hundreds of women How will he turns things around for the better? A lot of this is just Fox moseying and moping around unable to face his own problems It's quite unremarkable There isn't enough energy to get things in motion

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/06/23

Full Review

Cutter75

First watched this movie when I was 13 and hated it watched it again at 34 and really appreciated it

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/12/23

Full Review

EAZY

I absolutely loved this movie. Definitely an underrated movie that needs more appreciation. This is easily the best performance that Michael J. Fox has ever done, definitely give it a watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/06/23

Full Review

Shioka O

It was kinda boring, I prefer Casualties of War for the non comical J.Fox because I think it worked well. Soundtrack and score is pure 80s. Smooth visual.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/23/22

Full Review

Audience Member

If you read the novel, this movie is a disappointment based on the main fact that it starts 108 pages in. I personally enjoyed and would have like to seen play out on screen some of the first half of the book. This was shocking since the author worked on the screen play. Casting was great and Michael J Fox did a fantastic dramatic performance. Overall the movie felt like it was over too quickly and didn't really go anywhere.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

kevin c

Michael J Fox stars as a small town boy living in New York City working as a fact checker for a magazine who's life starts to unravel dealing with the breakup of his marriage and his increasing reliance on cocaine and alcohol. Really good performance from Fox in a bit of a downer of a film. Kiefer Sutherland, Phoebe Cates ad Swoosie Kurtz costar.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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James Bridges

Director

Michael J. Fox

Jamie Conway

Kiefer Sutherland

Tad Allagash

Phoebe Cates

Amanda

Swoosie Kurtz

Megan

Frances Sternhagen

Clara

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Bright Lights, Big City: Trailer 1

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Janet Maslin

New York Times

Mr. Bridges may not have breathed fire into this material, but he has preserved most of its better qualities. He has treated it with intelligence, respect and no undue reverence, assembling a coherent film that resists any hint of exploitation.

Rated: 3.5/5

May 20, 2003

Full Review

Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Along the gruesome road to self-discovery, Bright Lights offers some entertaining, episodic, danceable highlights.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Fox is very good in the central role (he has a long drunken monologue that is the best thing he has ever done in a movie).

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Kathi Maio

Sojourner

Bright Lights, Big City is no worse than most movies that present a selfindulgent, self-pitying WASP male view of the world.

Aug 29, 2019

Full Review

Cathy Burke

United Press International

Jamie may be less articulate and inspired than Holden Caulfield, but he seems as genuine a spokesman for his time.

Aug 23, 2016

Full Review

Walter Chaw

Film Freak Central

Flyblown, devoid of pace and heat; it's such a mortician's slab that it's hard to even tell if the Fox performance is wasted on it, though I suspect it is.

Rated: 1/4

Nov 9, 2008

Full Review

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Synopsis

In this adaptation of Jay McInerney's novel, Jamie Conway (Michael J. Fox) moves from small-town Kansas to New York City to work at a magazine. However, a number of things are making him miserable: He would rather be a writer, his wife (Phoebe Cates) has left him and his mother (Dianne Wiest) has recently died. So he takes to partying with his yuppie friend Tad (Kiefer Sutherland), abusing alcohol and cocaine. But he quickly finds himself becoming more and more dependent on drinking and drugs.

Director: James Bridges
Executive Producer: Gerald R. Molen
Screenwriter: Jay McInerney
Production Co: United Artists, Mirage Enterprises
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $15.7M
Sound Mix: Surround