El secreto de mi éxito

Michael J. Fox is walking on sunshine at the apex of his career success (1987) in this contagiously likable Herbert Ross produced and directed comedy.

Ross brings his prolific success from stage, opera, ballet, movies, and TV to this fun, frolicking and much-improved upon non-musical update of the 1960's Broadway and movie classic 'How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying'.

Herb is a bona-fide Hollywood legend, who over 40 years, worked with some of the greatest in the biz: Ray Stark, Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Mike Nichols, Vivien Leigh, Barbara Streisand, Baryshnikov, Shirley MacLaine, Anne Bancroft, Tom Skerritt, Liz Taylor, Peter O'Toole, Jerry Lewis, Milton Berle, Steve Allen, Steve Martin, Richard Dreyfus, Kevin Bacon, Goldie Hawn, Dolly Pardon, Julia Roberts, Sally Fields, Olivia Dukakis, Sam Shephard, and Michael J. Fox, plus many more.

Few can compare to Herb's Rennaisance-Man performing-arts background as a dancer, actor, choreographer, director and producer. Movies and/or plays he directed and/or choreographed include another 80's classic 'Footloose', as well as The Turning Point, The Goodbye Girl, Play It Again Sam, Protocol, California Suite, Nininski, The Seven Percent Solution, Funny Girl, Funny Lady, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, The Owl And The Pussycat, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolf, Inside Daisy Clover, Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Sunshine Boys, Max Dugan Returns, I Ought To Be In Pictures, Pennies From Heaven, My Blue Heaven, True Colors, Steel Magnolias, Boys On The Side, and more.

But 'The Secret Of My Success' is ALL about Michael J. Fox, and Ross choreographs this non-stop comedy romp through the corporate take-over era of the 1980's, that engagingly showcases Fox's comedic acting style - an absolute must-see film for any MJ Fox fan.

I assume it was the proliferation of Yuppies and the Me,Me,Me Age that was responsible for the numerous 80s movies about the cutthroat corporate life. 'Baby Boom' and 'Working Girl' are other titles that come to mind.

The Secret of My Success is a charming movie, though sometimes not a very funny one. As one viewer wrote, it is likely Michael J. Fox's innocent good-natured character that drives what might otherwise be only a mildly amusing movie. Margaret Whitton and John Pankow (had he not said 'suits' so many damn times) are pleasing secondary characters as well, and a much needed counterbalance to the obnoxious characters that Helen Slater and Richard Jordan portray.

Brantley Foster (Fox), fresh off the Kansas farm, learns the harsh reality of a business graduate's life when he travels to New York expecting to become the next CEO of some company. Nevermind find a job, he can't even seem to get past the interview stage, with one rejection after another. And these are some of the funniest lines in the films. Especially, when Brantley asks his interviewer how he can get hard-nosed business experience if no one will hire him. "If we hired you to get experience, you'd take that experience and get a better job. If you'd joined our training program right out of high school, you would've had a job today." Brantley asks, curiously, "Why did I go to college." The interviewer laughs, "You had fun, didn't you?"

Brantley decides to dial up some unknown uncle Howard, hoping to get a job with his company in his last resort. And his first impression work, landing him a job in the mailroom. But Brantely has his sights on bigger, better things, and uses his newfound position to establish his plan. That is, he is going to be the new great employee at Prescott's employee, but as Carlton Whitton, a business mastermind.

Trying to run one life is hard enough, and many comedic mishaps arise when Brantley tries to maintain his own life and pose as Carlton Whitton on a near full-time basis as well. He has trouble separating the two, when he has to keep hiding Carlton Whitton from his uncle Howard, who obviously knows who he is. He simultaneously has to hide his true identity from a fellow coworker that he falls in love with (Helen Slater). Add to the mix that Howard is having an affair with Christy (Slater) and asks her to spy on Cartlon Whitton because he suspects a spy within his company during rumors of a hostile takeover. Can Brantley keep up with it all? It is the only way to prove to anyone that he's not some dumb college kid. His success depends on it.

The movie is kind of funny, and pretty dated. Sometimes Fox's character is too charming. He never seems to get too angry, even after figuring that some people in the company were trying hard to screw him out of his job (both as Carlton and as Brantley). But, his charm and some of those strange mishaps (the sequence with the four characters at the townhouse sneaking around at night is a nice arrangement) keep the movie going. Best recommended for 80s fans or Michael J. Fox fans who would mostly likely be immune to some of the films flaws.

Whenever I see groups of people in suits slaving away at their laptops and wonder what they are doing, I am reminded of this film. The suits who don't talk to the mailroom staff, whose ties cut off the flow of blood to their brains, and who cut down the effectiveness of their company are looked at with a jaundiced eye.

Is it possible for a someone from the mailroom to open up an office, get himself a secretary, and start operating within the organisation as a suit? It's ridiculous, of course. Utter fantasy. Or is it? I would find it unbelievable, had I not witnessed for myself the kind of conditions that would allow this sort of thing to happen in a large organisation. I dare say anyone who had the nerve could do it.

Michael J Fox turns in a good performance as the protagonist. Fred Gwynne is very photogenic, and Margaret Whitton is excellent as the protagonist's leggy, amorous aunt-in-law.

This film is well worth watching.

The eighties, the decade of ugly clothes and hairstyles, bad music and easily forgettable movies. But there is one positive aspect about that decade and that is Michael J. Fox. He's probably one of the few actors who started his movie career at those days who I still admire. He's still nice to watch, especially in light weighted comedies like this one.

In fact, the title "The Secret of My Succe$s" already says enough about what you can expect from this movie (also notice the little dollar sign in the title), but I'll give a short resume anyway. It shows how Brantley Foster, a talented and well-educated young man coming from rural Kansas, goes to New York to find a suiting job and a nice girlfriend. But he isn't very successful, no company wants to hire him, because he doesn't have any experience. Before leaving Kansas for the Big Apple, his father had bought him a return ticket home and his mother gave him the address of his in New York living uncle, Howard Prescott, just in case when he should need some help. But what Foster didn't know is that his uncle runs a multi-million-dollar company. When he pays him a visit, he gets a job ... in the mail room. But then he meets Christy Wills, who happens to be one of the top executives. Believing that the best way to win her over is by posing as an executive, Brantley decides to take a position under the name Carlton Whitfield and of course things soon start to get completely out of hand...

I admit that this movie is as 'eighties' as you can get them. I'm pretty sure that no-one of todays directors would be able to make it exactly the way it looks, because they don't write scripts like that anymore and there are no more actors like Fox. The man that comes closest for this kind of role is probably Jim Carrey, but even then you would get a completely different kind of movie. It's probably thanks to Michael J. Fox, who is really very nice in this movie, that I forgot about most of its flaws. Once again he's the boyish, sweet guy and that's probably the best thing this movie has to offer. If it hadn't been for him, almost no-one would ever have seen the movie or would still remember it because the story isn't special and it's too typical for that time period.

All in all this is a fast-paced comedy full of typical eighties clichés, but it works thanks to Michael J. Fox's performance and that's why I still give it a 7/10.

Except maybe the red lamp on Michael J. Fox's table at his New York appartement: it's totally Seventies.

This movie is a very light, very enjoyable, a veritable document of the upbeat economic spirit that created the cesspool we're currently swimming through. College boy from Kansas arrives at the big city, loses his job before starting it, and still makes it big whilst shagging the boss's wife while he's at it. Great use of Yello's Oh Yeah track. Simply astounding cinematography.

And lots of Texas big hair.

Overall, a flashy, light, entertaining movie. Nuff said.