User reviews

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.

Okay, Michael J. Fox stars as a Midwestern college graduate who moves to New York City to conquer the business world. He is completely unprepared as Brantley Foster. He is so desperate that he contacts a distant cousin, Richard Prescott, for help breaking in to the business world of New York City. Along the way, he meets his aunt Vera Prescott, played by the delicious Margaret Whitton who really steals the show in this role. He also falls in love with Christy Wills who works there and is played admirably by Helen Slater. John Pankow plays the guy in the mail room who helps Brantley. The cast is first rate but the writing is somewhat mediocre material. It's a good entertainment with a first rate cast and the scenes in the country are quite beautiful.

Brantley Foster (Michael J,Fox) is from Kansas, wanting to better himself in the big wide world he hits New York hoping to make it big. However, landing a job in the big apple isn't as easy as he had thought. So turning to a tycoon uncle he literally doesn't know, he lands a job the mail room!. From where Brantley leads a double life as he creates Carlton Whitfield and sets about bluffing his way to the top and into the heart of sexy executive Christy Wills (Helen Slater).

Michael J. Fox is on cracking comedy form as the young hero of this 1980s light comedy. It's the sort of 80s film that has managed to break out of that decade and still be enjoyable in this latest, power driven, age. The formula is safe and plays out as expected, and the soundtrack, including notable movie riffs, adds to the high sense of energetic fun on offer. Wafer thin plot be damned, Fox delivers on the star vehicle promise and he in turn is backed up by a smashing turn from Margaret Whitton. Silly, unadulterated fun it be. 7/10

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.

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.

This film is definitely weird but a good weird. Read on to find out why.

Acting: The cast is great, all supporting roles and Michael j fox of course is awesome. Very iconic 80s characters being very charismatic and funny. You also really get a sense of fulfillment watching michael rise to the top from being a simple country boy.

Story: Wow what a weird script this must of been to read. It's absolutely hilarious, cringey and invigorating watching this movie unfold. I loved most of the stories direction with the exception of some scenes being quite lack luster and boring.

Summary: Overall I believe this movie is a must watch for a 80s fan or a mj fox fan in general. Definetly a 100% unique plot I've never seen before and a satisfying film to watch.

Ok, so maybe some people may call this movie your typical 80's comedy. I don't think so I love this movie. I've seen it many times and laugh at it every time. It's a movie filled with things that you wonder if that could happen, most likely not but hey it's fiction. Michael J. Fox is cute as always and Helen Slater is great as the female lead. It's a comedy with some drama in it too and I love the ending. Rent, watch, and enjoy.

Michael J Fox stars as a country boy who moves to the city and gets a job in a big corporation mailroom. Later he impersonates a top exec in order to win over a woman exec not known for her friendly manner..

Things get complicated when Fox has to keep up both personas..then there is his aunt! ..

A feel good entertaining movie about a little guy making it to the top..snappy with an addicting final half hour that is the best part of the film. Fox does excellent work with a so so script at best.. on a scale of one to ten...7

'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!

Typical 80s, coming of age comedy. Excellent music lots of laughs, a tough of BTTF incest. You'll love it.

As much as I like Michael J. Fox then this movie just didn't really sit well with me. Why? Well, simply because it wasn't particularly funny and because the story was just too unrealistic to the point where it was just too much.

The story is about an ambitious young man (played by Michael J. Fox) who has moved from Kansas to New York. But when his promised job fails to come through, he is forced to take on a job at his uncle's company starting out in the mailroom. And while the boss's wife falls in love with him and he falls in love with a young executive, things quickly get messed up.

Sure, the story had potential, but buying into the fact that someone in the mailroom could pass as an executive without anyone raising an eyebrow was just too far out there - too unrealistic.

While Michael J. Fox performed well in "The Secret of My Succe$s", then he actually had very little to work with in terms of script and storyline.

What is impressive, though, is the cast list with so many familiar faces, even in relatively small roles.

All in all, not a memorable movie, and I didn't even laugh a single time throughout the course of the entire movie.

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.

'The Secret of My Success' is a very 1980s film: Michael J. Fox, women with 'big hair' and flashy style, and the selfishness and greed of the 1980s corporate world. Fox's character decides to go to the city to work, and he falls in love with a young woman at the company he is working for. He poses as an executive to try to win her over, and things start to spiral out of control into the typical romantic comedy scenario. This is recommended for those who enjoy 1980s films and romantic comedies: a little mindless with some humour and some pretty good performances, but it's not a great and mind-blowing film. Typical romantic comedy material.

This film is exactly a postcard of the romantic comedies of the eighties and is therefore to be contextualized there, simply as a very light comedy without any pretense other than to make the viewer laugh and relax, and this does it very well because the film is very enjoyable. And it's not boring in any of its parts. Summarized as a more advanced comedy of misunderstandings, the plot is not that great, indeed it is very simple and banal but still does its own thing to be entertaining and not to bore the viewer. For the rest there really isn't much to say, the film is so simple that you can't argue much about it.

Michael J. Fox is essentially the only element that saves this from disappearing amongst its generic, 'John Hughes'-type peers. His energetic performance elevates the entire affair, wholeheartedly selling jokes that really aren't all that clever if you actually think about them. Having a likeable lead is incredibly important in this kind of thing, though; it can keep you invested in a predictable plot with simplistic messaging. Though the overall film is, essentially, just one step ahead of 'decent', it's actually a fair bit of fun when all is said and done. It isn't especially memorable or, even, impactful, but it is enjoyable and that's all that really matters. 7/10

Very good, this movie is literally laughing, the movie had actors, good soundtrack and fantastic jokes, one of the best comedies ever. Highly recommend.

Released the same year as "Wall Street", "The Secret of My Succe$s" plays with corporate bureaucracy. Brantley Foster (Michael J. Fox) has just moved to New York from Kansas, and hopes to hit it big. Naturally, this proves harder than it looks. Fortunately, Brantley has what it takes, by which I mean cunning. He poses as an office boy, and does some things that...well, let's just say that the corporate world will never be the same. If you ask me, Michael J. Fox works best in comedy, although his Parkinson's has of course prevented him from acting anymore. But anyway, you won't find this movie dull. If anything, this is what the business world is all about!

Very funny at times, serious at others... "The Secret Of My Success" starring Michael J. Fox is one of my all time favorite movies! J. Fox's acting is right on, and the other actors are great too! Fox plays two characters in this film; Brantley Foster and the *made up* Carlton Whitfield. Brantley comes to New York with the hopes of getting a successful business career. He eventually gets a job - as a postal boy! From that point, LOTSA weird things happen as he makes up an identity ('Carlton Whitfield') to get in touch with the other "SUITS" (business men), and to find out more about this beautiful girl that he saw the other day. The character Melrose (John Pankow from TV's "Mad About You") is also very cool. He's Brantley's co-worker at the post office. The character Vera made me crack up a few times too! I think this movie captures the vibe of New York. (Where the storyline is going down) If you get into the main character, it's almost like you're THERE, ya know? See this movie a few times and you'll understand what I mean. The film is backed up by some FANTASTIC music. The Soundtrack is really special! Songwriter/Producer David Foster is the music producer in this picture, and he even made a hard rockin' song with the American multi-platinum selling rock band Night Ranger (who by the way are BACK in the music world with two great new studio albums called "Neverland" and "Seven") for this movie. The song is called "The Secret Of My Success" and is the film's theme. I give this film 10 stars because it's such an enjoyable, entertaining one!

"The Secret of My Success" is an 1987 film directed by Herb Ross and starring Michael J. Fox, Helen Slater, Margaret Whitton, Richard Jordan, and John Pankow.

Fox plays Brantley Foster, a Kansas boy who moves to New York City to make it big, only to find out it's harder than he imagined. He has a few false starts he's the victim of budget cuts on the first day of his new job; in one interview, he's told he has no experience; after beefing up his resume, on his next interview, he's told he's not a minority.

Finally he calls a shirttail relative, Uncle Howard (Jordan), whose name he got from his mother, and gets a job in the mail room. He starts reading reports and memos to learn the business. Noticing an office just emptied by a fired employee, he takes it over and calls himself Carlton Whitfield, and does this Superman changing thing in the elevator from his mail room clothes to his suit, and back again. Soon enough, his crush on an executive (Slater), the hankering Howard's wife (Whitton) has for him, and his double identity collide.

Amusing film, with Fox's charm driving this somewhat typical '80s look at big business. One of the people reviewing it on this site suggested it's not so crazy to believe someone from the mail room could pose as an executive. As someone who has worked in big business, I have to agree. There is so little real communication and so much departmentalizing that at least for a time, it would be possible. And could this person be smarter than the actual executives? No doubt.

Enjoyable if not hilarious, with some good performances, particularly by Fox, Pankow, Whitton, and Carol Ann Susi as Jean, "Carlton's" secretary.

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!" *1/2 from ****

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.

If you have a soft spot for eighties movies, The Secret of My Success is a great choice for a spot of Sunday afternoon entertainment. This is an entertaining and inventive story with a solid cast and a gloriously cheesy soundtrack.

Even though his character starts to become a bit obnoxious towards the end, Michael J Fox does well in a fun lead role. It is Margaret Whitton who stands out though, with a deviously seductive performance as Vera Prescott.

The story does get a bit bogged down at times and they could easily have trimmed 15 minutes off the film. The ending was a big disappointment too, you can see where it was heading but there was no need for it to be so stomach-churningly corny.

I would still heartily recommend this film however, especially for anyone who grew up in the eighties.