Few movies are perfect but this might be one of them. I saw this film as a kid in a cinema one afternoon and loved it so much I convinced my family to all go see it again that evening! It's the only time I have watched a movie twice in the cinema on the same day. I have no regrets.
The script is such a masterful piece of keeping all the balls in the air. Like the mechanics of a ticking clock all working in synch, the way each little piece, even down to small details in the background, all work together to tell this story... and what a story... it is one of the most intricate pieces of film making I have witnessed and knowing more about how this film was made makes that even more remarkable. The fact almost half the film was reshot after the main character was recast, that it was filmed mostly at night since Fox was shooting his day job TV series at the same time. There are many stories of masterpieces being cobbled together as they went along (Casablanca) and Back to the Future is one of those masterpieces. It's a bit of a miracle this film exists.
The film remains, after all these years, genuinely funny and satisfying. Marty is a charming everyman who both learns to be a better person through seeing his parents as people, and inspires them to be the best of themselves. I've come to see this is about growing up and entering into that adult to adult relationship we reach with our parents and our children as we/they come of age. It is letting go of seeing them in their roles and seeing them for the humans beings, the individuals, they are and love them. It is about how things change and how things stay the same. It is also about having agency and becoming who we want to be.
Each time I watch the film I am still on the edge of my seat during the remarkably filmed set pieces. Marty's making it back to 1985 is filmed so perfectly you can't help but hold your breath, even when you know how it all turns out. The jokes still make me laugh. And the film is just filled with great big heart overflowing from the characters and story. It is one of those films that is just so damn hard not to love. And love it I do time after time.
Back to the Future
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson, Claudia Wells, Marc McClure, Wendie Jo Sperber, George DiCenzo, Frances Lee McCain, Jason Hervey, Billy Zane, Harry Waters Jr., James Tolkan, Huey Lewis
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: Bob Gale, Roberts Zemeckis
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