How lucky are the folks at MGM Home Entertainment? They just happen to be releasing this week on DVD “Bright Lights, Big City: 20th Anniversary Edition.”
Prior to recent news events (I'll get back to that), this would be a relatively unobtrusive arrival in the doings of home video: an anniversary edition of a so-so film (starring an anti-Alex Keaton Michael J. Fox and a way-pre-“24” Kiefer Sutherland) based on an overrated novel, Jay McInerney's 1984 “Bright Lights, Big City.”
But that was before Rielle Hunter hit the fan.
In the media frenzy surrounding the John Edwards sex scandal, we came to know that Hunter – the “other woman” – dated author McInerney for several months after meeting him at New York's Nell's Nightclub. Hunter was known by her previous name, Lisa Druck, back then. (If my name were Lisa Druck, I'd change it to Rielle Hunter, too, incidentally.)
Further fanning the gossipy/literary flames, McInerney has acknowledged that Hunter was an inspiration for the protagonist of his follow-up to “Bright Lights, Big City,” the novel “Story of My Life.” A recent check of amazon.com revealed that the book, which recounts the trauma of party girl Allison Poole (also a better name than Lisa Druck), is temporarily out of stock.
Allison Poole also appears in a couple of books by McInerney's friend and fellow writer, Bret Easton Ellis: “Glamorama” and “American Psycho.” Don't be surprised if those two novels get rediscovered by salacious readers.
All right, maybe I'm salacious for even writing about this. But there's a cogent point to be made here: Pop culture and news are one and the same.
You already knew that, didn't you?
Lost in all the salacious synchronicity of this DVD release and all things Rielle Hunter is the fact that “Bright Lights, Big City” the book was a pop cultural benchmark of its own, and that its present-tense, second-person-point-of-view narrative separated it from other chronicles of druggy decadence. (The cover also depicted the illuminated Twin Towers, which once symbolized Manhattan amplitude.) For its part, the subsequent film did include a stellar soundtrack of '80s rockers, from Prince to Depeche Mode, and it cast a darling Phoebe Cates as model Amanda White, about whom McInerney wrote: “Her lanky, awkward grace put you in mind of a newborn foal.”
Now “Bright Lights, Big City” is newly born. I'm sure John Edwards is thrilled.
TOP FIVE DIGITAL SONGS
1. “Whatever You Like,” T.I.
2. “Disturbia,” Rihanna
3. “Paper Planes,” M.I.A.
4. “So What,” Pink
5. “All Summer Long,” Hit Masters
Source: billboard.com
FILMS OPENING THIS WEEKEND
“BANGKOK DANGEROUS”
(Not screened for review)
“I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND” 
(See review on Page E3
“WHAT WE DO IS SECRET”
This film attempts to convey, in a mere 92 minutes, not only the forces at play (more like at war) inside the drug-addled brain of Germs frontman Darby Crash, but also the elements that shaped the L.A. punk scene of the mid-to late-1970s. But the movie is hobbled by a faux-documentary interview format that gives the film a made-for-TV hokeyness. (James Healy). Rated R; 1 hr., 32 min.
DVDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK (get art from “Married Life”)
“MARRIED LIFE” Set in 1949, the film revolves around Harry (Chris Cooper), who's having an affair with Kay (Rachel McAdams). Fearful that leaving his wife, Pat (Patricia Clarkson), will destroy her, Harry decides that she'd be happier if she were dead. Unfortunately, Richard (Pierce Brosnan) has also set his cap for Kay. It's an intriguing film with strong performances, but the plot feels just a step off. Extras include a director's commentary and three alternate endings. Rated PG-13.
“THE PROMOTION” Doug Stauber (Seann William Scott) is the assistant manager at a grocery store. His manager assures him that he's a shoo-in to become the manager at the new store the chain is opening, but then Richard Welhner (John C. Reilly) is transferred to Doug's store from Canada and suddenly Doug has competition for the job he covets. Things get nasty as the two try to outmaneuver each other in an escalating game of one-upmanship. The acting is great, but the ending feels forced. Extras include deleted scenes, commentaries and a “making-of” featurette. Rated R.
“THEN SHE FOUND ME” Schoolteacher April Epner (Helen Hunt) is going through a rough period. She's abandoned by her husband (Matthew Broderick), her adopted mother dies and her birth mother (Bette Midler) suddenly enters her life. Making matters worse, she discovers that her last fling with her husband has left her pregnant and she's falling in love with the father (Colin Firth) of one of her students. Bonus materials include a director's commentary with Hunt, cast interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. Rated R.
– RICHARD T. RYAN, NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
