“The Secret of My Success” / “The Secret of My Success”, 1987
Sort of “Businesswoman” with Melanie Griffith but in pants. Yesterday’s college graduate hero Brantley Foster’s life is turned upside down when she moves to New York City, relying on a new position, but is eventually rejected. Searching for a new job turns into a vicious circle: everyone needs experienced professionals, but you won’t gain experience if no one hires you.
Desperate, Brantley gets a job at the post office of a large corporation, where he falls in love with a girl in one of his leadership positions. The hero acts as a big boss in order to comply with his status and accelerate career growth.
The result is a dynamic sitcom in which only the famous Fox plays every scene with his participation.
“Bright Lights, Big City” / “Bright Lights, Big City”, 1988
The melancholic drama of the late ’80s, absorbing all the glamor of the films of the decade. The main character, Jamie Conway, daily reflects on how everything in his life has gone wrong: he suffers the imminent death of his mother, his career is not going well (instead of writing his own novel, he corrects himself as an editor for the newspaper ” Gotham”), and the model spouse announces his desire for a divorce .
Accustomed to entertaining the audience in Bright Lights, Big City, Fox calls the latter into a serious conversation.
“Military casualties” / “Battle Losses”, 1989
The same year as the second episode of Back to the Future, a war drama based on true events is released with Fox’s participation. American soldier Erickson witnesses the gang rape of a Vietnamese girl by her fellow soldiers during the Vietnam War. Erickson refuses to participate in the crime, but can’t stand it alone.
“War Lost” is a residual phenomenon of American cinema in the late 70s, trying to fully understand all the horrors of the Vietnam War, when “Taxi Driver” and “Apocalypse Now” appeared on screens almost in succession. and a little later “Full Metal Jacket” and “Suit”.
“Doc Hollywood” / “Doc Hollywood”, 1991
Proving that he knows how to work with serious material and is not inferior to venerable artists such as Sean Penn in the frame, Fox is back in his lighter role – a charming good guy.
Metropolitan surgeon Benjamin Stone goes to Hollywood, where he is expected to become a plastic surgeon. But with the start of a new life, Stone must wait a bit when he’s stranded in a country town against his will along the way. Crashing into a local judge’s fence by accident and now forced to atone for his crime, the newly arrived hero is quickly circulated, both a local clinic’s employee in dire need of a smart specialist, and a local beauty. Lou, whom Benjamin also likes to sympathize with.
“Ahead” / “Hard Road”, 1991
Ironically, Fox makes fun of his own reputation as a “single role player”. According to the plot, action movie star Nick Lang is tired of the image of an action hero and dreams of a serious dramatic role in a detective story. To do this, the actor begs to partner with a tough and quick-tempered police officer to gain the necessary experience outside of Hollywood pavilions. However, the long friction of two radically different characters and their search for a dangerous killer turn their ordinary internship experience into a thrilling adventure.
“Concierge” / “For Love or Money”, 1993
Pretty Woman is told from the point of view of the charming doorman of the hotel where businessman Edward and prostitute Vivienne are staying.
The protagonist of the movie is Doug, a young janitor who spins like a squirrel every day and solves millions of problems at once. One day, she falls in love with Andy, an attractive girl who uses a prestigious hotel to meet her powerful boss. Doug plans to get his girlfriend back from a married rich man while helping himself to fulfill his old dream of quitting serving others and starting his own business.
“Greedy” / “Greedy”, 1994
Several relatives of the old businessman Joe McTeague (Kirk Douglas) are counting the days until the rich man’s possible death and want to smash his huge legacy as soon as possible. But the smart, businessman, despite his age, is in no hurry to go to the grave. Moreover, a young and attractive nurse, whom Joe’s heirs see as the main threat, keeps Molly for herself.
To balance the forces, the businessman’s relatives save his cousin Danny from oblivion, with whom Douglas’ hero has always sympathized. Finding himself between two fires, Danny feels confused: The race for other people’s wealth is alien to him, but he doesn’t want to reject his relatives.
“Greed” isn’t extraordinary, it’s a hilarious movie from comedy veteran Jonathan Lynn who gave us “Sergeant Bilko” with Steve Martin in the ’90s and “The Nine Yards” with Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry in the new millennium.
“American President” / “American President”, 1995
A poignant melodrama designed to humanize the image of the head of state, scripted by Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin. At the center of the story is a widowed American president (Michael Douglas) who has an affair with Sydney (Annette Bening), a lawyer and political strategist.
Michael J. Fox plays a supporting role in the film – the president’s speechwriter who unwittingly witnesses someone else’s love interest within the walls of the White House. It turned out to be a good family movie with a political flavor. It seems that Aaron Sorkin was preparing for his other project, the West Wing series, about the Washington backstage.
“Scarecrows” / “Scavengers”, 1996
In 1996, Fox faced evil twice on the screen: the satirical alien comedy Mars Attacks! Scarecrows of Tim Burton and Peter Jackson, not at all funny but very atmospheric.
Architect Frank begins to see the spirits of the dead after a car accident that killed his wife. The new “talent” helps the protagonist to somehow make a living by acting as an intermediary between the dead and their living relatives. But locals mostly see Frank as a charlatan and city lunatic.
Things change when Frank begins to see glowing numbers on people’s faces, foreshadowing their imminent death at the hands of the evil force, the Grim Reaper. Now, Frank is the only one who can resist the otherworldly power and save the innocent.
“Twisted City” / “Turning City”, series 1996 – 2002
Another project with a political focus on Fox’s career is a sitcom in which the actor plays the role of the deputy mayor of a fictional city. While his character Mike solves all the problems of his boss and his environment, he also does his job with a relaxed and smiling face. No matter how funny ups and downs Mike goes, he always wins.
After two seasons of the show, with the uncontrollable tremor caused by Parkinson’s disease becoming increasingly difficult to hide, Fox gave a lengthy interview in which he publicly disclosed his health problems. According to the star, she was very afraid that her recognition would negatively affect her career and, in particular, the fate of Twisted City, as the show was filmed in front of a live audience.
Fox’s fears, however, were not confirmed. On the contrary, he finally relaxed after making a public statement. The actor has received an Emmy Award, four Golden Globes and two Screen Actors Guild awards for his role in the series. After leaving the project in 2000, Charlie Sheen took over the role.
“Route 60” / “Interstate 60”, 2001
Since the early 2000s, Fox has almost stopped acting in feature films and has accepted guest roles in popular TV series: Clinic, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Good Wife. A rare exception is the movie analogy “Route 60”, in which the actor also got a small but memorable role of businessman Baker.
The picture tells about the journey of the mysterious character Grant (Gary Oldman), who can fulfill the desires of others. In parallel with this, the line of the hero of the Nile, a rich heir who dreams of becoming an artist, develops. A young man dreams every night of the image of a mysterious girl he fell in love with and travels halfway across America in search of her, meeting wonderful, eccentric and sometimes dangerous people.
“Unchanged: Michael J. Fox” / “Again: A Michael J. Fox Movie”, 2023
A new documentary about Fox is the first truly big and detailed film reveal about the actor’s own life, career, gruesome diagnosis and years of struggle with it. Fox looks to the future with hope, forbids self-pity, and insists that “his life is in full swing.” Surrounded by the love and attention of loved ones (Fox and wife Tracy Pollan have four children), she continues to actively participate in charity work, noting the importance of studying Parkinson’s disease.
“Unchanged: Michael J. Fox” is an inspiring and uplifting movie, after which you want to live and appreciate every moment.