I was doing an exercise on this film for my scriptwriting class and decided to add something extra to the assignment. Considering the fact that I’m always referencing the things or people that inspire me, I thought I’d post this.

Enjoy!

Back To The Future has been my favorite movie of all time for as long as I can remember. I would describe myself as being optimistic and hopeful, which is really what this film says. Its message is clear: the future is not written; it’s what we make it. There’s so much hope to that idea that the best way I can describe my feelings on this film is that every time I see it I walk away with a smile on my face. The true joy in filmmaking or even in television is the ability to resonate with an audience and, upon continued viewing, appreciate the film even more. This film continues to inspire me because it reminds me that great films are what got me interested in this profession in the first place.

There’s nothing shown in this film that doesn’t need to be in the mise en scene. Everything within the frame is necessary and is either part of some exposition, an in-joke or a means for providing backstory. Upon this latest viewing, it occurred to me that there’s a beautiful relationship in the father son dynamic of this film. Marty teaches his father to stick up for himself, which in the future leads George to tell Marty that anything is possible. One could not exist without the other and for me it’s one of the more inspiring aspects that the film offers.

The other core emotional element to this film is the relationship between Doc and Marty. I’ll always go on record to say that there has never and will never be better chemistry on screen between two people than there was between David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as Mulder and Scully on The X-Files. However, Doc and Marty come in at a close second and maybe in some respects tie up with the Mulder and Scully dynamic. Obviously there’s no sexual tension like there was for Mulder and Scully, but that’s not the point. The point is a friendship that exists only on screen that conveys a sense of mutual respect and love for one another. The major defining moment for their relationship is when Marty and Doc are about to part ways and Marty hugs Doc. Brown. He’s torn up about his fate in the future and will do anything to stop Doc’s death, which for me being the sap that I am is quite moving.

If I had to make one complaint about this film it would be the only scene that feels contrived for the sake of plot: when George, who has just saved Lorraine and defined who he is allows another guy to push him away and start dancing with Lorraine, only to knock him down and finally kiss her. It exists only to add more suspense to Marty’s predicament and contradicts the character growth we have just witnessed in George for the entire movie. Thankfully this scene is so small that it doesn’t quite hinder the movie in the way that it could have. In a movie that is so great and so heartfelt, it’s a minor complaint at best.

Back To The Future is a film about filmmaking. The script is the exact blueprint for how great scripts work. Everything fits so perfectly in this film that I’m amazed every time I watch it. The film gave me back the courage to write great things of my own and will continue to be an inspiration in my life for years to come…