The Secret of My Success

1987, Comedy, 1h 50m

37 Reviews 25,000+ Ratings

What to know

critics consensus

A miscast Michael J. Fox gives The Secret of My Success all the madcap energy he can muster, but it isn't enough to overcome confused direction and a recycled plot. Read critic reviews

You might also like

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar
In & Out
One Fine Day
Toys
A Walk in the Clouds

Where to watch

Rent/buy from $3.99 Rent/buy from $3.99 Rent/buy from $3.99

Rate And Review

User image

Verified

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Step 2 of 2

    How did you buy your ticket?

    Let's get your review verified.

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

    You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • How did you buy your ticket?

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

The Secret of My Success Photos

View All Photos (13)

Movie Info

Recent college graduate Brantley Foster (Michael J. Fox) travels from his home in Kansas to New York City to pursue a new finance job. However, when Brantley arrives, he learns that his position has been eliminated, and he's forced to take a job working for his inept Uncle Howard (Richard Jordan), who became a company president through marriage. Brantley starts as a mere mailroom worker, but quickly climbs the corporate ladder when he begins posing as an executive.
  • Rating:
    PG-13
  • Genre:
    Comedy
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Herbert Ross
  • Writer:
    Jim Cash
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $65.3M
  • Runtime:
  • Sound Mix:
    Surround

Cast & Crew

Michael J. Fox
Brantley Foster, Carlton Whitfield
Helen Slater
Christy Wills
Richard Jordan
Howard Prescott
Margaret Whitton
Vera Prescott
John Pankow
Fred Melrose
Fred Gwynne
Donald Davenport
Elizabeth Franz
Grace Foster
Christopher Durang
Davis
Mercedes Ruehl
Sheila
Herbert Ross
Director
Jim Cash
Screenwriter
Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for The Secret of My Success

All Critics (37) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (19) | Rotten (18)
Full Review… Jay Boyar Orlando Sentinel Full Review… Marsha McCreadie Arizona Republic Full Review… Michael H. Price Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com Full Review… Michael Wilmington Los Angeles Times Full Review… Bill Cosford Miami Herald Full Review… Kathleen Carroll New York Daily News Full Review… Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Full Review… Gene Seymour Philadelphia Daily News Full Review… Bob Ross Tampa Tribune Full Review… Hal Lipper Tampa Bay Times Full Review… Nathan Rabin The Dissolve Full Review… Jo Berry Radio Times
View All Critic Reviews (37)

Audience Reviews for The Secret of My Success

There are no featured reviews for The Secret of My Success because the movie has not released yet ().

See Movies in Theaters

Movie & TV guides