Bright Lights, Big City

Author Jay McInerney adapts his own novel about drugs, disillusionment & self-discovery in New York City, with James Bridges helming his final directorial effort. Michael J. Fox, cast against type, plays a sympathetic young writer in the big city, emotionally adrift following turmoil personally & professionally, who turns to cocaine & alcohol to numb the pain. With long nights of partying with his yuppie best bud (Kiefer Sutherland), haunting visions of his absent family fuel his downward spiral into addiction. Featuring a strong ensemble cast, including Swoosie Kurtz & Frances Sternhagen, Fox’s future wife Tracy Pollan, and key roles for Phoebe Cates & Dianne Wiest, plus slick cinematography by Gordon Willis, and music by Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen.