Bright Lights, Big City (1984) 2

So what's it about?

It's about grief. Grieving.

Who is grieving?

The narrator is grieving.

(Glancing at yesterday's post.) The end of his marriage?

His marriage is the bun, the death of his mother is the beef.

Funny you should put it that way. Wendy's "Where's the beef?" campaign was launched the same year as Bright Lights, Big City.

Yes.

Did you see the film version?

I've seen bits. Same with Bonfire of the Vanities (1987) and Slaves of New York (1986). I've seen bits of those films too.

And?

The narrator in Bright Lights is twenty-four-years-old -- the person playing him is twenty-seven but looks twelve.

You said you've only seen bits of the film version. Which bits?

Drinks with Alex Hardy and the narrator's coughing fit in front of his ex-wife at a warehouse party in TriBeCa. I'd like to see a whole film about Alex Hardy, but Jason Robards passed away twenty years ago.

The scene in the book that moved you the most?

The narrator's conversation with his dying mom.

Is it in the film?

I don't know.

Are you curious?

Not about that.