In Back to the Future (1985), Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is the human guinea pig who volunteers to travel back to his hometown in 1955 via a time-tripping DeLorean automobile. Once there, he discovers he is trapped and can't return to the present without an ample supply of plutonium. Not only that but he gets caught up in the soap opera lives of his own teenaged parents. He tries to get his milquetoast father (Crispin Glover) to stand up to the local bully with little success. More problematic is his future mother (Lea Thompson) who falls madly in love with him and calls him "dreamboat." Yes, the kid has got problems and if he doesn't straighten them out, he might be tampering with his own future existence.

The number one box office hit of 1985, Back to the Future is probably the only Oedipal comedy from a major Hollywood studio. It was co-written and directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Steven Spielberg, and yielded a top ten single - "The Power of Love" performed by Huey Lewis and the News - which dominated radio station play lists during August of 1985.

What most people DON'T KNOW about this blockbuster is that Michael J. Fox was not the first choice to play Marty McFly. Eric Stoltz was the original lead but five weeks into the shooting he was fired by Spielberg who was not happy with his performance. At the time of filming, the television series, Family Ties was a huge hit and Spielberg knew the reason for the show's appeal - Michael J. Fox. He was convinced that Fox could carry off the role of Marty McFly and his hunch proved correct. Unfortunately, Spielberg's new lead had a less than ideal work schedule. For six weeks straight, he would report for work early each day on the Paramount Family Ties set, then jump in his jeep and rush over to the Universal Back to the Future set where shooting would began at 6 p.m. and usually finish at midnight. You wouldn't know Fox was on the verge of physical collapse from watching Back to the Future, though. If anything, you might wonder where he got his boundless energy. Drugs? Hypnosis? Is he a digitally created special effect?

In addition to Fox's star-making performance in Back to the Future, the film's success also gave a tremendous boost to the screen careers of Christopher Lloyd (as the eccentric Dr. Emmett Brown) and the eccentric Crispin Glover (as George McFly). Lloyd's mad scientist routine provides some of the biggest laughs in the film and was quite a departure from his portrayal of "Reverend Jim" on Taxi, the beloved television series that really launched his career.

Part of the immense appeal of Back to the Future is the way it pokes fun at fifties culture as well as pop trends of the eighties. Like the scene where Michael J. Fox tries to order a Tab at the soda shop. Or the scene where Fox tells his high school companions that Ronald Reagan will become President of the United States one day. Of course, Fox also does his best to introduce some new music into the past, resulting in one show-stopping sequence - his invention of rock and roll (with apologies to Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly) at the high school prom.

During the Oscar campaign of 1985, Back to the Future won nominations for Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Song, and Best Sound Effects Editing (the only Academy Award it won). Nevertheless, the success of Back to the Future paved the way for two more sequels, Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Back to the Future Part III (1990).

Producer: Neil Canton, Bob Gale
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Screenplay: Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale
Art Direction: Todd Hallowell
Cinematography: Dean Cundey
Editing: Harry Keramidas, Arthur Schmidt
Music: Chris Hayes, Alan Silvestri
Cast: Michael J. Fox (Marty McFly), Christopher Lloyd (Dr. Emmett L. Brown), Lea Thompson (Lorraine Baines-McFly), Crispin Glover (George McFly), Thomas F. Wilson (Biff Tannen), Claudia Wells (Jennifer Parker), Marc McClure (Dave McFly), Wendie Jo Sperber (Linda McFly), George DiCenzo (Sam Baines), Frances Lee McCain (Stella Baines), Casey Siemaszko (3-D), Billy Zane (Match).
C-117m. Letterboxed.

By Jeff Stafford