THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$ [1987 / 2019] [Blu-ray] [UK Release]
There‘s no such thing as an overnight success! Brantley Foster took two weeks!
Can a kid from Kansas come to New York to conquer the business world and manoeuvre his way from the mailroom to the boardroom in a matter of weeks? Michael J. Fox proves it can be done in this very funny lampoon of corporate business life.
Fresh out of college, Brantley Foster's determined to climb New York's corporate ladder in record time by masquerading as an up and coming executive, even though he's really the new mail boy. However, Michael J. Fox's plans begin to go awry when the boss's wife falls in love with him and he Brantley Foster falls in love with a junior executive, who also happens to be the boss's mistress.
FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 1988 Golden Globes: Nominated: Best Original Song for a Motion Picture for David Foster (music/lyrics), Jack Blades (music/lyrics), Michael Landau (music/lyrics) and Tom Keane (music/lyrics) for the Song: "The Secret of My Success." 1988 BMI Film & TV Awards: Win: BMI Film Music Award for David Foster.
Cast: Michael J. Fox, Helen Slater, Richard Jordan, Margaret Whitton, John Pankow, Christopher Murney, Gerry Bamman, Fred Gwynne, Carol-Ann Susi, Elizabeth Franz, Drew Snyder, Susan Kellermann, Barton Heyman, Mercedes Ruehl, Ira B. Wheeler, Ashley J. Laurence, Rex Robbins, Christopher Durang, MacIntyre Dixon, Bill Fagerbakke, Jack Davidson, John Bowman, Jeff Brooks, Ascanio Sharpe, Don Amendolia, Judith Malina, Mary Catherine Wright, Joseph Ragno, Burke Pearson, Ray Ramirez, Gloria Irizarry, Mark Margolis, Rick Aviles, John C. Capodice, Sally-Jane Heit, Richard Arthur Gallo, Luis Antonio Ramos, Cindy Crawford (uncredited), R. Emmett Fitzsimmons (uncredited), Elain R. Graham (uncredited), London Hall (uncredited), Bruce McGill (uncredited), Tatjana Patitz (uncredited) and Rhoda Robinson (uncredited)
Director: Herbert Ross
Producers: David Chasman, Herbert Ross, Joseph M. Caracciolo and Nora Kaye
Screenplay: AJ Carothers (screenplay/story), Jack Epps Jr. (screenplay) and Jim Cash (screenplay)
Composer: David Foster
Cinematography: Carlo Di Palma (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Running Time: 110 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Universal Pictures / Fabulous Films
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$’ [1987] was the first of two appealingly light films in the late 1980s and early 1990s featuring Michael J. Fox as an ambitious Manhattan go-getter named Brantley Foster, and is one of those films that defies critics with the passage of time and enjoys the status of “endlessly watchable.” The film, like its plot, is a celebration of winging it after all, what’s the worst that can happen?
‘THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$’ plays to Michael J. Fox’s already built-in and innate down-to-earth charisma, cast as Brantley Foster, a bumbling hick from the mid-west who aims to tackle the corporate power structure in a brutally materialistic midtown Manhattan, inevitably biting off more than he can chew, but rising like cream to the top of his professional daydreams; thanks to a bit of well-timed intervention from his aunt, Vera Prescott as the alluring and delicious Margaret Whitton.
The screenplay by A.J. Carothers, Jack Epps Jr. and Jim Cash nimbly skirts around the issue of family incest thus; first, by having Vera Prescott as Brantley Foster’s aunt through marriage and no direct blood ties are involved, and second, by both parties being absolute innocents; never having met before and therefore beginning their lustful byplay totally oblivious of the fact they already know one another much too well for such badinage. Vera Prescott is caught in a loveless marriage to Brantley Foster’s uncle, Howard Prescott [Richard Jordan] who is also carrying on behind the scenes with Christy Wills as the statuesque, though thoroughly wooden, Helen Slater, whom Brantley Foster desires for his own and again, unaware Christy Wills and Howard Prescott are an item.
As with most “romantic comedies” from the 1980’s, ‘THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$’ is mostly like a 1960s British “Sex Farce,” moderately updated to encompass the precepts of a more slickly packaged and timely comedy of errors, with the added infusion of high-powered wheeling and dealing from the Reaganomics world of high finance. With the implosion of America’s economic stability, begun in 2008 with its fallout still very much with us, and films like ‘THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$’ truly seem to be from another planet: most decidedly, from another time.
David Foster’s interpolation of an electronica/synthesizer underscore with pop/rock standards of their day (including the bass-pounding title track, provides us with three central orchestral themes to counterbalance and carry the picture: his rather clinical “corporate” march, juxtaposed with the Brantley Foster theme, the latter imbued with naïve optimism.
There is also a piano-heavy “love theme.” providing a musical respite from the visual hijinks; also, a motif for the Brantley Foster and Christy Wills romance, apart from the noisy pop/rock repertoire, and finally and best of all is the song “Gazebo;” an inspirational blend of the aforementioned musical elements, expressly written for a sequence played completely in silence: Brantley Foster, with Vera Prescott’s connections, managing to woo the reigning Wall Street tycoons to his way of thinking at the Vera Prescott’s weekend retreat in Litchfield.
Michael J. Fox recognizes the wide latitude of artistic license available here. There is no way a person such as Brantley Foster should possess this combination of confidence and ambition, but he does, because we only need to see him reach the top, and we like the way he does it and pushes the envelope, bending protocol, hard work, clever, bold. Brantley Foster’s social values may be highly dubious but his sex shenanigans feel almost deliciously justifiable; he worked himself into the fast lane and this is what happens. This is no message tale about greed or fidelity, but the latter helps supply the necessary motivations for keeping certain essential characters apart.
‘THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$’ delivers the proverbial “feel good” with a capital “F.” This could just as easily stand for “fantastic,” “frenetic” and “fun.” The AJ Carothers, Jack Epps Jr. and Jim Cash screenplay is a potpourri of improbably concocted scenarios, given weight in performance and credence by the underlying fact that, at least in the 1980’s, such improbably featherweight situations were readily on tap and taken at face value by the audience. Apart from Helen Slater’s lethal turn as the undeniably handsome, but thoroughly ineffectual soulless female executive of the Penrose Corp., the rest of the cast come off pretty much smelling like the proverbial rose and sweetly scented in Chanel No. 5, wafting from the moneyed balconies of 5th Avenue; that gives us a magic elixir of brash comedy and some expertly timed musical montages, all of it immensely fleshed out by the support of its key players. All in all, ‘THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$’ excels because its cast is so expertly put together. We get actors who know how to do so much with so little, their presence immediately felt and lingering long after their few minutes of screen time is over.
‘THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$’ thrives on the corporate fantasy. Everyone would like to hustle and brainstorm his way into a corporate office and how does a fictitious person, in a building of 30,000 employees, manage to be one of the 12 invitees to a high-level executive session, and tell off the buffoons he works with. But the snappy pace of ‘THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$’ overcomes its inadequacies like a speeding car dodging potholes. ‘THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$’ is that it never gives up. Brantley Foster got exposed, got fired, and still got the company and the girl. Like Brantley Foster, the film isn’t really qualified to succeed, but somehow it does very successfully and despite of some of it foibles, I still love this film after all this time and if you are feeling down, put this Blu-ray on and it will banish your blues forever and you will wish you could be like Brantley Foster.
THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$ MUSIC TRACK LIST
RISKIN’ A ROMANCE (Written by Siobhan Fahey, Ollie Marland and Paul Weller) [Performed by Bananarama]
SOMETIMES THE GOOD GUY FINISH FIRST (Written by Pat Benatar, Khris McDaniels and Holly Knight ) [Performed by Pat Benatar]
THE PRICE OF LOVE (Written by David Foster and Jack Blades) [Performed by Roger Daltrey]
EL CATUCO (Written by Tito Puente) [Performed by El Chicano]
EL MUNEQUITO (Written by Francisco Cruz) [Performed by El Haitianito]
GAZEBO (Written and Produced by David Foster) [Performed by David Foster]
WALKING ON SUNSHINE (Written by Kimberley Rew) [Performed by Katrina & The Waves]
GEEK BOOGIE (Written by Ira Newborn) [Performed by Ira Newborn and The Geeks]
THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$ (Written by David Foster, Jack Blades, Tom Keane and Michael Landau) [Performed by Night Ranger]
FELIZ CUMBE (Written by Francisco Cruz) [Performed by Papo Cadena su sax y orquesta]
SOMETHING I GOTTA DO (Written by David Foster, Danny Peck and Tim DuBois) [Performed by Restless Heart]
HEAVEN AND THE HEARTACHES (Written by David Cumming and Jeff Nead) [Performed by Taxxi]
COME GET MY LOVE (Written by Robert Marcial) [Performed by TKA]
THEME FROM ‘JAWS’ (Music composed and conducted by John Williams)
OH YEAH (Written by Boris Blank and Dieter Meier) [Performed by Yello]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Universal Pictures and Fabulous Films presents us the film ‘THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$’ and have done a very good job in producing a good 1080p transfer that was produced from a MPEG 4 AVC codec of a new 2K restoration. The image looks natural and good, retaining most of the grain. The pluses: most of the image is remarkably clean and razor-sharp. Colours pop out and particularly greens and reds and medium shots and close-ups reveal a spectacular amount of fine detail in hair, skin, fabric and background detail give you the “wow factor” and really showing to its best advantage. Thankfully, we don’t get undue DNR and the film looks about as good as I remember it in the cinema, and occasionally, with this Blu-ray disc, it certainly surpassed my expectations for overall clarity and all thanks to Universal Pictures and Fabulous Films. This would make the previous inferior DVD look completely outdated. So all in all this definitely gets a five star rating from me. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Universal Pictures and Fabulous Films brings us the film ‘THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$’ with just one standard 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio experience really packing a wallop – especially during the rock/pop montage interludes and showcasing David Foster’s original orchestrations to their best advantage. Dialogue is always crisp and crystal clear and the soundtrack of the film has been given more room to expand in the stereo audio presentation. I think Universal Pictures and Fabulous Films have done a really exceptional job on reviving this audio soundtrack to current standards. Bottom line: if you love this film as I do, you’ll want to snatch up this disc. The Blu-ray is the best way presently to enjoy it via your home audio set up.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: For some unknown reason Universal Pictures and Fabulous Films has decided that no supplement should be included on this Blu-ray discs and I thought they could have at least supplied an original Theatrical Trailer.
Finally, this comedy feature film ‘THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$’ features a naïve country boy who travels to New York to make his fortune, only to end up working in a corporation's mail room. Brantley Foster chances on a vacant office and hatches a plan to pass himself off as a top-ranking executive, but leading a double life proves harder than expected. ‘THE SECRET OF MY SUCCE$$’ is tailor-made for Michael J Fox’s role in which he plays a mailroom boy who tries to make his way to the top by spending half his day impersonating an executive. Lots of pratfalls ensue, and Michael J Fox is very engaging in a very charming way as he runs around frantically trying to keep up with his charade, but does he succeed you will have to watch this brilliant film. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
