Mr. Bridges may not have breathed fire into this material, but he has preserved most of its better qualities. He has treated it with intelligence, respect and no undue reverence, assembling a coherent film that resists any hint of exploitation.
– Janet Maslin,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
rotten:
The movie is like a Porsche outfitted with a lawn mower engine; there's not even enough juice to get the machine out of the driveway.
– Hal Hinson,
Washington Post,
1 Jan 2000
fresh:
Fox is very good in the central role (he has a long drunken monologue that is the best thing he has ever done in a movie).
– Roger Ebert,
Chicago Sun-Times,
1 Jan 2000
fresh:
Along the gruesome road to self-discovery, Bright Lights offers some entertaining, episodic, danceable highlights.