It’s been exactly 39 years since The Secret of My Success debuted in theaters, reinforcing Michael J. Foxas a box office draw. The wacky workplace comedy came two years after blockbusters Back to the Futureand Teen Wolf turned Fox into a global star and despite mixed reviews, the film was a major success for Universal Pictures.
With a $12 million budget, The Secret of My Success may have been just another rags-to-riches comedy cookie-cutter comedy but it was a box office hit, bringing in $111 million worldwide.
The film’s logline describes the Fox-led film as “a talented young man can’t get an executive position without rising through the ranks, so he comes up with a shortcut, which also benefits his love life.”
Other films released in the late ’80s and early ’90s often had the same vibe as The Secret of My Success, cashing in on the “making it big in the city” trope like Working Girl, Trading Places, For Love or Money, and Bright Lights, Big City.
While other movies were more successful, there are plenty of arguments online about why The Secret of My Success is “the ultimate ’80s movie.” In a Reddit thread, users made their case, pointing out that aside from starring Fox, who was the ’80s “it guy,” it also had “more 80’s montages than you can shake a stick at.”
Possibly the only thing more ’80s than the movie is the soundtrack that went with it. The title song by Night Ranger is a synth-heavy rock jam with saxophones, a keyboard and flying V electric guitars.
Then there was Pat Benatar‘s “Sometimes the Good Guys Finish First,” Roger Daltrey‘s “The Price of Love,” and Bananarama’s “Riskin’ a Romance,” to name a few.
This story was originally published by Parade on Apr 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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