Bright Lights, Big City (1988)

[6]

Michael J. Fox stars in this adaptation of Jay McInerney’s novel about a New York yuppie named Jamie who keeps life’s problems at bay by constantly partying and doing drugs. With the help of his bad-influence friend Tad (Kiefer Sutherland), Jamie barely ever has to think about his unfulfilling job as a fact-checker for a magazine, the fact that his super-model wife left him, or even that his mother (Dianne Wiest) died a year ago. But will Jamie sink to his destruction, or find a new reason to live?

James Bridges’ film version of this story lacks forward momentum. The only ticking clock mechanism is Jamie’s observance of a local tabloid magazine on the progress of a comatose woman’s unborn baby, dubbed “Coma Baby”. Early in the film, Jamie dreams he has a conversation with the Coma Baby. McInerney connects the two — just as Holden Caulfied saw himself as a ‘catcher in the rye,’ so are we meant to read Jamie as the ‘Coma Baby’ — staying inside, safe from danger, willing to go down with the ship. Our engagement with the film boils down to whether or not we care enough that the Coma Baby lives or dies.

The film weighs heavily on Fox’s leading performance. If you’re like me, Michael J. Fox has enough charm to save almost any movie. And he has a couple of memorable acting moments, like when he opens up to Swoosie Kurtz (playing a concerned coworker) about why his wife left him. But I can’t help thinking a few other actors might have been better for this role — maybe Timothy Hutton or Andrew McCarthy?

The supporting cast get little time to shine, though the roster is impressive: Kiefer Sutherland, John Houseman, Jason Robards, Dianne Wiest, Tracy Pollan, and Phoebe Cates are among the talent. Frances Sternhagen is very good as Fox’s constantly disappointed boss. The soundtrack, featuring songs by Prince, Depeche Mode, and New Order, is also a highlight.