- 3 months ago
Here’s my review of the movie, Bright Lights, Big City.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00hey guys it's me Bo back once again with another cult movie review I hope everyone
00:20is doing well in today's video I'm going to be reviewing the 1988 drama bright
00:28lights big city before we get into it guys if you haven't already please do
00:33consider subscribing to the channel all the support is greatly appreciated so
00:40bright lights big city from 1988 was directed by James Bridges and based on
00:47the novel by the writer Jay McHenry actor Michael J Fox was in the lead role with
00:55Kiefer Sutherland and Phoebe Cates supporting now of course actor Michael
01:02J Fox is most remembered for his work in the back to the future franchise but
01:08he's also starred in several other projects over the years including Teen Wolf
01:13and the Frighteners bright lights big city is another one of those projects that
01:21stands out in his filmography perhaps the best film to showcase Michael J Fox's
01:30acting ability you know this is a film that I watched many years ago maybe when
01:39I was about 13 or 14 like so many others out there I watched back to the future
01:45and instantly became a fan of Michael J Fox so after seeing that movie I ended up
01:53going to the shops and yeah just trying to track down any Michael J Fox film I
01:59could find and I stumbled upon bright lights big city now I must admit when I
02:06first saw this movie on the DVD shelves I kind of expected it to be this light
02:14hearted tea movie you know a bit of comedy mixed in but yeah I was wrong what I got
02:24instead was a compelling drama about a guy in his late 20s searching for closure
02:34for his recent losses you know I have to also admit that having recently seen it for
02:41the first time after so many years I definitely have a newfound appreciation for
02:46the film back all those years ago I had very little life experience so I couldn't
02:54really relate to Fox's character in bright lights big city the way I could relate to
03:02Marty McFly from the back to the future films but as time has passed of course I've you know
03:09gone on to live my life and you know along the way I've had a few serious
03:14relationships gained some life experience and yeah I can definitely relate more to
03:21the film now so in terms of the plot the story followed the New York writer Jamie
03:28Conway played by Fox who had just recently split from his wife Amanda played by Phoebe Cates
03:37Jamie's mother had also recently passed so he was very much still in the grieving process his whole
03:47life had been turned upside down and he became increasingly more dependent on alcohol and cocaine
03:55I mean yeah it was a tough situation for anyone to be in and Jamie didn't know how to handle it I
04:04I mean just at the start of the film we saw Jamie alone sitting in a club by himself without any
04:12friends while the people around him were dancing and having a great time Jamie was just sitting there
04:18contemplating his future without his wife Amanda I mean for me it was quite clear that Jamie was
04:27running away from his issues by delving deeper into his drug habit as his life spiraled out of control
04:38Jamie became less invested in his day job as a writer for a top New York magazine his wayward lifestyle
04:48was interfering with his daily work life and his ever-increasing pattern of incompetence was not going
04:59unnoticed by his superiors things just got worse and worse and eventually we saw Jamie lose his job as the writer for the magazine
05:10which was something that he saw coming and there was a sense of relief when Jamie actually finally
05:20finally heard the news that he was going to be let go throughout the movie we get more and more information
05:26about Jamie and his background and yeah it was obvious that he never really wanted to work for the magazine in the first place
05:34he wanted to write he wanted to become a famous best-selling author and he one day planned to publish his you know big American novel
05:49so yeah I guess in some ways him losing his job at the magazine was a blessing in disguise
05:57during this time Amanda played by Phoebe Cates was modeling in Paris but she soon returned to New York
06:07where she had zero intentions of reconnecting with Jamie she was not interested in any reconciliation
06:17and yet Jamie this whole time had this idea that there may be a chance for them to get back together
06:25Jamie went to some great lengths to reconnect with his wife but yeah to no success up until the very end
06:36of the film when Jamie was invited to a party which Amanda was also attending
06:42Jamie just wanted an explanation for Amanda's walkout but she acted like he was a complete stranger
06:53I mean Jamie was just standing there in complete shock and didn't really know how to react to Amanda and her
07:02nonchalant attitude it was a sad sight to see and at least Jamie knew at that point it was finally over
07:13between them and there was no going back Jamie would end up having a random nosebleed probably due to the
07:21stressful situation he found himself in but nevertheless he left the party and ended up walking home alone
07:29the movie tried to end with this upbeat tone with Jamie walking in the early morning sun
07:38the jazz song bright lights big city by the artist Jimmy Reed played out as Jamie looked out to see
07:47after running away from his issues throughout the whole movie at the very end finally Jamie accepts
07:57his situation and then looks ahead to the future you know I like to think that the Jamie character
08:05actually went on to leave New York for good because that hectic lifestyle both personally and professionally
08:13seemed just way too much for the guy to handle when it comes to performances credit has to go to
08:24Michael J Fox who basically carried the film with his efforts Jamie's reluctance to acknowledge his issues
08:35was a key part of the story and Fox's performance conveyed that very convincingly I mean yeah there's no doubt
08:45that this is a major career highlight for Michael J Fox and I would say it's probably one of his strongest
08:54acting performances that I've ever seen and perhaps it can be argued that bright lights big city
09:02is one of the most intriguing films that Fox has ever appeared in I recently read some online criticism of
09:14Michael J Fox and the fact that he was basically too clean cut and didn't fit the role now while I understand
09:25that viewpoints I think people have to understand that the Jamie character was meant to be a fish out of water he wasn't really meant to fit in because he wasn't from New York originally he wasn't a New Yorker at heart Jamie was this laid back chilled guy from Kansas who got involved with this outgoing girl and ended up in New York
09:53in New York he was never suited for that 80s yuppie lifestyle so for that purpose I liked the casting of Michael J Fox
10:06now I want to discuss the character Amanda here for a moment when I first watched this movie many years ago
10:14I never really had any opinion of the Amanda character
10:19and you know to be fair Phoebe Cates didn't have a huge amount of screen time in this movie
10:27so the audience didn't really get to know her character too well
10:31but after re-watching the movie again after so many years and having a newfound perspective on things
10:39I definitely see the Amanda character in a new light
10:44I realised that Amanda had this real toxic side to her character
10:51from her abruptly ending her marriage to Jamie
10:56to how she treated him when she returned from New York
11:00I mean she really was not a nice person
11:04you know all things considered once Amanda became involved with modelling
11:10her relationship with Jamie completely changed
11:14he was no longer the sole focus in her life
11:18she put her career first and her marriage second
11:22now it's fair enough that Amanda fell out of love with Jamie
11:28but she could have had the decency to at least tell him to his face
11:35yeah in my eyes Amanda was a heartless social climber who only cared about herself
11:44she may have been all sweet and innocent on the outside
11:49but no doubt she was very ugly on the inside
11:54and yeah it's a shame how things had to end
11:59but honestly Jamie was better off without her
12:04and so dislikes for Bright Lights Big City 1988
12:10my main dislike for the film would be the scene
12:15that involved a ferret running around in Jamie's office
12:21so a bit of context here
12:23after Jamie got fired he thought it would be a good idea
12:27if he let a ferret loose inside his office
12:31as a way of revenge for his bosses
12:34so in the dead of night
12:37Jamie and his friend Ali Gash played by Kiefer Sutherland
12:41broke in and let loose a ferret
12:46but chaos then ensued once the ferret was let loose out of the box
12:52and ended up biting Jamie on the hand and then biting Ali Gash as well
12:58Jamie's hand was bleeding Ali Gash was screaming and the ferret had run loose into another office
13:08I mean the whole scene was played for laughs
13:11but if I'm honest
13:14I just didn't really like it that much
13:16the whole idea of Jamie seeking revenge on his co-workers
13:22just seemed very random and out of character
13:25I mean we'd seen Jamie have quite close relations with his co-workers
13:31and it was only his superiors his bosses that had the issue with Jamie
13:36so um yeah it just seemed like even the plan itself to let loose a ferret inside an office
13:43just seemed um a very screwable idea you know
13:47yeah the whole thing felt like an attempt by the filmmakers to lighten the film's mood and insert
13:58some humour but uh it just wasn't needed
14:02when I take a step back and look at the whole film
14:05you know that scene in the middle really kind of sticks out like a sore thumb
14:09and yeah it was pointless and unnecessary
14:17and so ratings for Bright Lights Big City 1988
14:22I'm going to be rating this movie a solid 5.5 out of 10.
14:29Bright Lights Big City was a character driven drama
14:34that had Michael J Fox step out of his comfort zone
14:39and deliver a strong solid performance
14:43at times the film reminded me of the 1987 drama Less Than Zero starring Robert Downey Jr
14:54both movies shared similar themes with the main characters dealing with broken relationships and
15:02drug habits though it is fair to say that Bright Lights Big City
15:07was less focused on the repercussions of drug use
15:13this was more of a personal story revolving around a guy during the 80s New York party scene
15:22finally this is a film that I do recommend but I wouldn't say it's a absolute must watch
15:29fans of Michael J Fox will definitely enjoy it but I can't say it's for everyone
15:37when this movie was released back in 1988 it was a moderate success but has been largely forgotten over the years
15:50the film looked good it had some great performances and a decent soundtrack
15:56but other than that there really isn't anything special about this film
16:04you know don't get me wrong I really enjoyed it but I have to say that the film didn't really stand out
16:10enough to warrant a big audience reaction and well that's all from me today guys I hope you've enjoyed it
16:19I will be back next week with another cult movie review don't forget to subscribe guys
16:25I do appreciate all the support and of course take care
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