Bright Lights, Big City (1988)

Interesting facts

• Based on: Bright Lights, Big City
• Filmed in: New York City

Bright Lights, Big City is a 1988 American drama film directed by James Bridges and adapted from Jay McInerney's 1984 novel of the same name. Michael J. Fox stars as a young writer unraveling in Manhattan's fast-paced nightlife, with co-stars Kiefer Sutherland, Phoebe Cates, Dianne Wiest, and Jason Robards. McInerney wrote the screenplay for the adaptation. The film marked the final directorial effort of Bridges, who died in 1993.

Production and development

In 1984, Robert Lawrence, a vice president at Columbia Pictures, championed Jay McInerney's novel against resistance from older executives. He felt that the book spoke to his generation and described it as "Graduate, with a little bit of Lost Weekend." The studio agreed to make the film with Jerry Weintraub producing and Joel Schumacher directing. McInerney wrote a draft of the screenplay and, soon afterward, Schumacher started rewriting it.

In 1985, Weintraub took the property to United Artists when he became chief executive there. The film needed a new producer so Sydney Pollack and Mark Rosenberg took over. They hired writer Julie Hickson to write a script. Cruise and Schumacher grew tired of waiting for a workable script, but before they could be replaced, Weintraub left United Artists.

Joyce Chopra was hired to co-write the script, with her husband Tom Cole, and also direct it. She had her agent send a copy of McInerney's novel to Michael J. Fox. The actor won the leading role and, at his request, the part of Tad Allagash went to fellow Canadian Kiefer Sutherland. Fox's casting increased the budget to $15 million and principal photography was moved to New York City.

Fox had to be back in Los Angeles to start taping his television series Family Ties by mid-July, giving Chopra only ten weeks to finish the film. Studio executives did not like what Chopra was shooting and, a week into filming, the studio's chairman and its president of production flew from L.A. to New York City to check on the film. Neither had read the script and both were unaware of how different it was from the novel.

In seven days, Bridges wrote a new draft bringing back the darker elements of the novel such as the main character's heavy drinking and drug abuse and replaced six actors, casting instead Jason Robards, John Houseman, Swoosie Kurtz, Frances Sternhagen, and Tracy Pollan, while keeping Sutherland and Dianne Wiest. The new cast members read the novel because there was no script at the time.

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