With the recent release of “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” the popular actor, who has been battling Parkinson’s disease since his diagnosis at the age of 29, has been doing the rounds recently on the interview circuit. Since his career was sadly curtailed by the condition, his heyday invariably comes up: The breakthrough role in “Family Ties,” for which he won three Emmys; a string of hit comedy movies like “Teen Wolf,” “The Secret of My Success” and, of course, the films for which he will always be remembered, the “Back to the Future” trilogy.
When it comes to the question of rebooting the original film, which was one of the biggest hits of the ’80s, Fox is forthright, telling Variety: “I’m not fanatical… Do what you want. It’s your movie. I got paid already.” That might seem like a blunt attitude from the man who gave us the movie’s breezy teen protagonist, who just wanted to play guitar, ride his skateboard, and hang out with his girlfriend. But he has his reasons beyond already cashing the cheque:
“I don’t think it needs to be [rebooted]… I think Bob [Zemeckis, director] and Bob [Gale, screenwriter] have been really smart about that. I don’t think it needs rebooting because are you going to clarify something? You’re going to find a better way to tell the story? I doubt it.”
He has a strong point. Like “Jaws,” “Back to the Future” is an almost perfect movie. Each time I see it, I try to spot a line that could be omitted or a scene that could be shorter or cut altogether, and I always come up lacking. The two sequels aren’t as flawless, but taken as a whole, they make one of the greatest trilogies ever made.
