This 1985 comedy/science fiction film, directed by Robert Zemeckis, follows Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), a teenager living in the 1980s who is sent back to the 1950s via a time machine made by his eccentric but brilliant friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). When he arrives there, he finds that he's inadvertently changed the course of history and must ensure his parents fall in love so his own existence isn't threatened (while simultaneously trying to avoid the amorous advances of... his mother). This movie is also the reason an entire generation recognizes the song "Earth Angel" by The Penguins.
Fox spoke with Parade Magazine about the experience of working on the sitcom "Family Ties" and filming "Future" at the same time. "I went to work on 'Family Ties,' and then that night I was standing in the parking lot with flaming tire tracks running between my legs – and my whole world changed," he said. "I ended up getting about three hours sleep a night for the next three or four months, because they had to get the movie out that summer."
Actress Lea Thompson, who portrays Marty's mother Lorraine, told the New York Times she believes there's a reason the story has appealed to what are now multiple generations. "I think that’s maybe the reason people like to show it to their kids, because it is showing that a., your parents were once young and full of dreams, and b., that little things that happen in your life – little moments of standing up for yourself – can change your whole life," she said. "Little moments do add up to big changes."
