The Secret of My Success (1987)
Directed by Herbert Ross

Film Review

What could so easily have been the limpest film comedy of the decade is miraculously salvaged by the enthusiasm that is brought to it by its director Herbert Ross and lead actor Michael J. Fox.  The Secret of My Success is not the most sophisticated comedy about the corporate world but it has an irresistible sense of fun, and it so reeks of that nauseating 1980s obsession with instant success that it could almost pass as a fly-on-the-walk documentary.  The film caught the Zeitgeist like no other (this was after all the age of the yuppie) and proved to be a suprising global hit, taking over 110 million dollars at the box office worldwide.  Whilst most of the jokes now appear tired and predictable, there are a few moments of genuine hilarity - the best being the scene in which Fox falls prey to his man-eating aunt, to the musical accompaniment of the theme from Jaws.  Fox's amiable college boy presence and natural flair for self-deprecating slapstick make up for all the tedious running about and almost non-existent plot.  Overall, The Secret of My Success is an enjoyably daft diversion which now reads as quite a dark commentary on the 1980s, not so far fetched as you might think.

Film Synopsis

After graduating from university in his home state of Kansas, Brantley Foster has set his sights on becoming a high-flyer in New York City.  His optimism turns to disillusionment when he learns that the company he was to have worked for has been taken over by a rival organisation, leaving him without a job.  Several futile interviews later, Brantley begs his uncle Howard Prescott to give him a job; he ends up as a lowly mailroom boy in his uncle's corporate monolith.  Brantley soon discovers that the company's executives are making ineffective business decisions and sees an opportunity to pass himself off as a corporate whiz kid.  He commandeers an empty office, puts on a suit and adopts the name Carlton Whitfield.  With his company facing a hostile takeover bid, Howard Prescott institutes a series of desperate cost-cutting measures.  Convinced that this is the wrong strategy, Brantley enlists the support of another executive, Christy Wills (whom, incidentally, he has fallen madly in love with), to push through an alternative solution.  Not knowing the true identity of Carlton Whitfield, Prescott assumes that he is a corporate spy and enlists his nephew's help to try to thwart him.  Things become a little complicated when Prescott's wife Vera develops a crush on Brantley, which is fair game because Prescott is himself having an affair with Christy...