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MONEY
Did you know
Made its money back 9.2Γ over at the box office.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#01
The Secret of My Success
"There's no such thing as an overnight success. Brantley Foster took two weeks."
1987 1h 51m EN
π
6.5
SOLID
π₯«
46%
ROTTEN
π¬
36
METACRITIC
β
6.5
IMDB
β
6.5TMDB Β· 722π₯«46%Rotten Tomatoesβ36Metacriticβ
6.5IMDB Β· 39,075
Comedy
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
Brantley Foster, a well-educated kid from Kansas, has always dreamed of making it big in New York City, but once there, he learns that jobs - and girls - are hard to get. When he visits his uncle, Howard Prescott, who runs a multi-million-dollar company, he is given a job in the mail room.
βThere's no such thing as an overnight success. Brantley Foster took two weeks.β
Cast
Michael J. Fox
Brantley Foster aka Carlton Whitfield
Helen Slater
Christy Wills
Richard Jordan
Howard Prescott
Margaret Whitton
Vera Prescott
John Pankow
Fred Melrose
Christopher Murney
Barney Rattigan
Gerry Bamman
Art Thomas
Fred Gwynne
Donald Davenport
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Herbert Ross
- Writers
- Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr., AJ Carothers
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts πΏ
2 / 8
ERA
Did you know
39 years old β old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Herbert Ross, shot by Carlo Di Palma. Note their partnership β DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by David Foster. Worth a dedicated listen after β most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Paul Hirsch shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#05
6 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Michael J. Fox and Helen Slater and Richard Jordan carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#06
7 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "There's no such thing as an overnight success. Brantley Foster took two weeks.".
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0093936 β still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Herbert Ross directs. Carlo Di Palma behind the camera. David Foster scores. Paul Hirsch cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 1Made its money back 9.2Γ over at the box office.
- 239 years old β old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 3Directed by Herbert Ross, shot by Carlo Di Palma. Note their partnership β DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by David Foster. Worth a dedicated listen after β most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor Paul Hirsch shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6Michael J. Fox and Helen Slater and Richard Jordan carry the top of the cast.
- 7Marketing tagline: "There's no such thing as an overnight success. Brantley Foster took two weeks.".
- 8IMDB entry: tt0093936 β still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 9Classified under 14 themes, including "new york city", "dual identity", "mistake in person", "success".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Carlo Di Palma
- Original score
- David Foster
- Editing
- Paul Hirsch
- Production design
- Edward Pisoni
- Costume design
- Joseph G. Aulisi
- Makeup / hair
- Joseph Coscia
- Sound
- Steve Maslow
- Stunt coordinator
- Victor Magnotta
- Runtime
- 111 min Β· 1h 51m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $12,000,000
- Box office
- $110,996,879
- Return
- 925% of budget
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- PG-13
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 46% π₯« Rotten
- Metacritic
- 36/100
- IMDB rating
- 6.5/10 Β· 39,075 votes
- MPAA
- PG-13
Awards
1 win & 1 nomination total
Also by
Herbert Ross
Stills Β· wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames β open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Production companies
Who made it
Universal Pictures
US
Rastar Productions
US
Key crew
- Executive ProducerDavid Chasman
- ProducerHerbert Ross
- EditorPaul Hirsch
- Unit Production ManagerJoseph M. Caracciolo
- Sound EditorRandy Kelley
- Sound EditorLarry Kemp
- Sound MixerJames Sabat
- Supervising Sound EditorLon Bender
- Sound Re-Recording MixerSteve Maslow
- Second Assistant DirectorLouis D'Esposito
- First Assistant DirectorRobert V. Girolami
- Property MasterWalter Stocklin
- Supervising ADR EditorStan Gilbert
- Sound RecordistFrank Graziadei
- Boom OperatorLouis Sabat
- ADR EditorJoe Gilbert
- Second Second Assistant DirectorJane Paul
- Sound EditorAnna Boorstin
- Sound Re-Recording MixerRobert J. Litt
- StuntsGary Tacon
- StuntsTom Wright
- Assistant EditorAdam Bernardi
- Sound Re-Recording MixerElliot Tyson
- Sound EditorHugo Weng
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- new york city
- dual identity
- mistake in person
- success
- wealth
- corporate downsizing
- workplace romance
- college graduate
- corporate ladder
- office building
- hilarious
- romantic
- amused
- country boy moves to big city
Release history Β· US
When it landed
- Theatrical1987-04-10PG-13
Also known as
International titles
- O Segredo do Meu SucessoBR
- The Secret of My Succe$sUS
- El Secreto de mi ExitoSV
- εθΎΎδΉθ·―CN
- ζεηη§ε―CN
