The Secret of My Success (1987)

Huge box-office hit for star Michael J. Fox is really just an extension of his role on TV's "Family Ties"...and maybe that's all his fans wanted (after all, Fox's dramatic performance from earlier in the year with "Light of Day" was outright ignored). Under the ridiculously yuppie-fied character name of Brantley Foster, Fox plays a Midwestern kid with a degree in finance who relocates to the Big Apple but finds himself stuck in the mailroom of his uncle's corporation; with some light deception, our hero climbs the ranks of success, eventually attracting the eye of his uncle's wanton wife--the daughter of the corporation's founder. This may be the worst movie Herbert Ross ever directed. With a shallow screenplay worked on by three writers, "Secret" raises a few laughs early on before becoming a dated 'corporate satire' which doesn't even look good. Helen Slater's potential love-interest suits Fox well, but her character's indignation is pure formula, as is the "Graduate"-like subplot underscored by Yello's obnoxious "Oh Yeah!" * from ****

'The Secret of My Success' is classic 80's cinema, with an incredible performance by one of my favorite actors, M.J Fox. I remember the 80's euphoria, as I am an Indian, I lived in India... I remember Mithun dancing in his hit films, and loving him. M.J Fox was another kid-favorite. Watching this film, just makes me go back in time and jump! 'The Secret Of My Success' is about M.J Fox, who comes to make it big in New York City, and then begins his youthful journey, which is FUN! The ambitious kid inside you, the confidence to conquerer the World, the believe, you become Brantley Foster from the very start. And the series of events he goes through are so memorable. I just love this film! Herbert Ross's direction is fantastic. Jim Cash's screenplay is full of fun! Carlo Di Palma's Cinematography, like always, is striking. Paul Hirsch's editing is crisp.M.J Fox is an Icon. I've always loved him, be it this film, the Back To The Future series or Teen Wolf. He is a magical actor, who's simply lovable. Helen Slater is the only performer, who stands up to M.J Fox and delivers a very likable performance.On the whole, This is simply, 80's and M.J Fox at their best! From this fan, Two Big Thumbs Up!

This happened to be on TV, and whenever I get a chance to watch something that I have *never* heard of before for free, I sometimes give it a chance, since there are countless undiscovered gems out there that, for example, marketing people don't know how to sell to the masses. Well, it isn't one. It's plain as they come. They made plenty of flicks in the 80's(with the music of the period, for better or for worse) dealing with stocks, suits and big money, and the reason I had no idea this particular one existed is most likely that it does nothing to stand out from this pile. If you can't see where this is going from the very beginning, this must be your first exposure to a romantic comedy about someone starting at the bottom. There are a few good jokes and gags, but the majority just aren't anything special, and this really did not make me laugh an awful lot. The humor includes sit-com-like "miscommunications" and such. Fox, in spite of looking surprisingly metro at times, is what makes this watchable. The acting is fine. Characters, script, editing, cinematography, all are about average, with no real surprises. There is a little vague sexuality(and some of it may disturb viewers) in this. I recommend this to big fans of Michael J. and the decade it was made. 6/10

The Secret Of My Success shows what someone with a backbone could accomplish under the most difficult of circumstances. What the Mathew J. Fox character tries to prevent in the film actually happened in real life to my father's multi-billion dollar corporation back in the 1980's! As a result, he, and tens of thousands of other people lost their jobs! Too bad they didn't have someone like the Michael J. Fox character attending their boardroom meetings! It might of saved a lot of people much grief!Beside the interesting story, the chemistry between the actors was fantastic! The soundtrack was one of the very few that's memorable. The sexual situations were plentiful and quite humorous! Parts of Connecticut look exactly like they were portrayed in the film! (Yes, there is a lot of mind-boggling wealth hidden down secluded country roads!) The Secret Of My Success is definitely a home run, and one of my all-time favorite comedies!