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Thanks for the memories!

A Disappointing Continuation

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Eighties comedies seem dated today in terms of the color palette, the building architecture and the way females wear provoking negligees on camera while males for often no reason in the storyboard change on camera to and from underpants. The brilliantly crafted heavily physical comic storyline expresses eighties ideals of how rurals once emigrated to the big city for jobs and dates. Other than Michael J Fox shining in one of his best written and blocked comedy roles the only names in the cast today generally recognizable are former television comedy second banana John Pankow this time doing better playing it straight and movie personality Mercedes Ruehl in a supporting role. This visual, the dialogue, the editing and the blocking seem so perfect in every way the only reason I score it an eight is it seems today so dated it might not appeal to the general movie fan expressing no particular interest in eighties comedies.

Brantley Foster (Michael J. Fox) is fresh in New York from Kansas. He loses his job before he starts when it disappears in a hostile takeover. New York is tougher than he ever imagines. In desperation, he visits his distant wealthy grumpy uncle Howard Prescott (Richard Jordan), and is given a mail room job. He falls for top executive Christy Wills (Helen Slater).It's a bad 80s take on corporate America. It lurches from ridiculous humor to serious. It seems to be heavily influenced by other 80s movies. Director Herbert Ross gives us crazy clothes, popular music interludes, and cheesy humor. The only good thing is the charismatic Michael J. Fox. His boyish charm is able to keep this mess on track.

It'll make you dizzy in part as half the time in this film we see Fox's character juggling 2 different office identities in the same company (which is far-fetched but since this is a comedy, I digress), however it is also a crisp and sharp piece that examines big business and its effects on the common working man. Ross wasn't trying to wax philosophic on his viewers though--- this is meant to be a fun film, and it truly is. It is very funny in parts, and basically mildly funny at all other times. There's no real lull in this movie that seems boring but you'll only laugh out loud three of four times throughout the course of the film, even if you are a big Fox fan. To be honest, an episode of "Spin City" probably has twice as many laughs packed inside of a twenty-two minute episode than this whole movie had. Fox makes this film work though, and generally whenever there's a laugh to be had, it's a line or action Fox was responsible for. The supporting cast is quite good, though Fred Gwynne is sorely underused and when he is introduced in the final moments of the film, he is given absolutely no funny material to work with. That was probably the major disappointment of this movie for me, but other than that, it's pretty sharply-written, directed, the music is first-rate and you truly root for Fox throughout. 8 out of 10 stars.

One could comment about how best this movie works. Or that it was symbolic of the materialistic 1980s and hence that is one of the reasons why it was so popular.In my opinion, this movie works as a light-hearted comedy and should be seen as such. If so, one could sit back and truly enjoy this film. Michael J. Fox plays a savvy and ambitious young man in The Secret Of My Success, which was aptly directed by Herbert Ross. It is a nice is a throwback to 50s-60s romantic comedies. Ross keeps things moving in an endearingly old-fashioned way. Fox is genial and charming. Helen Slater is a genuinely beautiful actress. Richard Jordan is good as the mogul. Margaret Whitton is all sexuality. All the supporting actors and actresses are also good. Carlo DiPalma's cinematography is comedy bright. David Foster's soundtrack works well. I must add that watching Mr. Fox is always a joy. He is a talented, kind and charismatic actor. I don't think that viewers are getting enough of him (understandably).