Official Synopsis:
Two decades after this "wildly effective... powerful" (NBC-TV) cautionary tale first wowed moviegoers, it remains as relevant and enthralling as ever. Featuring screenwriter commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, still photos and more, this 20th Anniversary Edition packs a delicious punch! Michael J. Fox "couldn't be better" (Los Angeles Times) as Jamie Conway, an aspiring writer who abandons the wheat fields of Kansas for the skyline of Manhattan - and the city's seductive party subculture. Hitting the clubs night after night, Jamie soon spins out of control, and he risks losing everything - and everyone he loves. Co-starring Kiefer Sutherland, Phoebe Cates, Dianne Wiest and Swoosie Kurtz, and with its pulsating soundtrack from New Order, Depeche Mode and Prince, this "chronicle of wasted days and misplaced nights" (Roger Ebert) is a must-own!

  
Our Take:
I could have sworn that Robert Downey, Jr. was in Bright Lights, Big City alongside Michael J. Fox. I guess it just seems that way since its an ‘80s flick set in Manhattan about young professionals getting caught up in a world of drugs. It turns out that Michael J. Fox’s friend of questionable morals is instead played by Kiefer Sutherland, in a role as far removed from Jack Bauer as you can get.

Bright Lights, Big City was one of Michael J. Fox’s earlier big screen outings, and it seemed at the time like an attempt to distance himself from the two characters he’d become so associated with: Marty McFly and Alex P. Keaton. And while it didn’t necessarily succeed on that front (I don’t think a lot of people wanted to see Marty McFly as a coke-sniffing yuppie), it does succeed on its own merits as a pretty good film.

Having never seen the film before, I was surprised at how well it’s held up over the years. Sure, it’s extremely ‘80s-ish in terms of hairstyles, music, and fashion, but that actually works to the film’s benefit. This isn’t a story that would work as well in today’s climate: the New York City of today is very different from the one of the mid-'80s. As a result, the ‘80s trappings serve to make the film something of a snapshot of a certain time and place. It gives the movie an authenticity that couldn’t be had if the same movie were made today but took place in the ‘80s.

Bright Lights, Big City comes to DVD for the second time, but this new Special Edition is the first time it’s included bonus features. Sadly, Michael J. Fox is nowhere to be found in the extras, but author/screenwriter/ostensible subject matter Jay McInerney fills in for him.

* Commentary with Author/Screenwriter Jay McInerney.

* Commentary with Cinematographer Gordon Willis.

* Jay McInerney's The Light Within (12 minutes) – An interview with the writer.

* Big City Lights (10 minutes) – Writers and social commentators discuss the New York of the ‘80s.

* Still Photo Gallery.

While this so-called Special Edition of Bright Lights, Big City isn’t really all that special, the film itself is still pretty good, and fans of Michael J. Fox (or just people who miss the ‘80s) should definitely check it out.

Overall Picture:
Movie: B+
DVD: B-

- Mike Spring

Editor