BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY: 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION (Fox) Surprisingly enough, audiences in 1988 largely balked at the prospect of seeing Michael J. Fox playing a coked-out Manhattan party boy in James Bridges’ adaptation of the novel by Jay McInerney, which was itself loosely adapted from his own experiences as a New Yorker fact-checker with a taste for “Bolivian marching powder.” Two decades later, the movie is a fascinating document of ’80s-style ostentation.
While some cultural anthropologists may prefer the slick trash of Less Than Zero (another cinematic car-crash involving McInerney’s fellow brat-pack writer Bret Easton Ellis), more discerning palates relish Bright Lights, Big City for its classy production values (e.g., Donald Fagen’s swanky score, Phoebe Cates’ little black dresses) and the rare opportunity to see Fox pretend to be totally wired. And what with so many hipsters experimenting with feathered hairstyles, the movie’s nostalgia value has never been higher. The DVD adds commentary by cinematographer Gordon Willis and the absolutely unrepentant McInerney, new featurettes and stills. You’ll have to supply your own cocaine… and why don’t you get the good stuff for once, you cheap prick?
Also out this week
MARRIED LIFE (Sony) Rachel McAdams and Pierce Brosnan make for excellent foils in Ira Sachs’ witty, well-played ’50s drama. EXTRAS: commentary by Sachs, alternate endings.
THE OFFICE: SEASON FOUR (Universal) Even though the Jim/Pam hookup has made Dunder Mifflin a far less interesting workplace, the ongoing Michael/Jan and Dwight/Angela tire-fires still bring the funny. EXTRAS: deleted scenes, commentaries, blooper reel, featurettes, Michael Scott’s Dunder Mifflin ad.
THEN SHE FOUND ME (ThinkFilm) Helen Hunt’s directorial debut is a superior chick-flick but significant others may still flee at the sight of Bette Midler. EXTRAS: commentary by Hunt, cast interviews, featurettes.
Out Sept 9
Baby Mama, The Forbidden Kingdom and the anniversary edition of Child’s Play — little could Brad Dourif have known how much joy he’d bring the world when he first provided the voice of Chucky.