The Secret of My Success (1987)
Michael J. Fox could do no wrong in the late 80s, and The Secret of My Success proves it, earning $111 million on a $12 million budget despite lukewarm reviews. Nic picked this PG-13 romantic comedy about small-town Brantley Foster's meteoric rise through a Manhattan corporation.
Steve admits this is one of those movies he loves "maybe more than it deserves," putting it alongside Summer Rental and UHF, films that hit different when nostalgia's involved. Kansas farm boy Brantley arrives in gritty 80s New York only to have his first job disappear in a hostile takeover. Enter distant Uncle Howard, CEO of Pemrose Corporation, who gives him a mailroom gig after Brantley's classic "believe in yourself" speech.
Peak 80s wish fulfillment follows as Brantley discovers an empty executive office and promotes himself to Carlton Whitfield, changing clothes in elevators while juggling identities. The hosts dive into Helen Slater's sarcastic Christie, the unhinged sex comedy involving Margaret Whitton's Vera, and bizarre food choices from all-night bagel bars to plates of raw vegetables that look "like AI-generated California cuisine."
A fascinating time capsule of 80s corporate fantasy and Michael J. Fox at his most charming.
