Time Out

I recently stumbled upon a documentary on Hulu about my favorite movie, Back to the Future. Back in Time seemed like it would be an all-access look into the making of the classic film, and I was excited to watch. But I was quite disappointed -- and I think it was the documentary, not my expectations, that was out of alignment.

From what I can surmise watching Back in Time, there aren't actually very many interesting stories about the making of Back to the Future. Less than half of the 95-minute film is devoted to that subject, and most of that is about the previously well-chronicled process of writing the script and trying to get studio to buy it (without creators Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale relying on buddy Steven Spielberg). There's really no anecdote here that hasn't been told countless times before -- and you indeed get exactly that sense during many of the interviews: these people have told this same handful of stories hundreds (maybe even thousands) of times.

There's a tiny bit more material than previously revealed about the original casting of Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly -- and a few more fleeting glimpses of the footage he shot. There's are brief snippets of new interviews with Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. But, unsurprisingly, there's nothing from Crispin Glover (whose split with the producers over the sequels has endured) or Thomas F. Wilson (who is so tired of talking about Back to the Future that he wrote a song about it and made that a centerpiece of his stand-up routine).

So, apparently lacking the ingredients to make a "behind the scenes" or "making of" kind of documentary, what did the people behind Back in Time do instead? They made an "isn't this thing we all like really cool?" movie. To be certain, that kind of approach has its audience. I've been to more than my share of conventions (and I mean, before I was employed by game companies and working those conventions). There I formed the embryonic theory that there are fans who want to know more about the thing they love (me) and fans that want to be in the company of other people who love the same thing they love (lots of very extroverted people, but not me).

Back in Time is squarely for the latter group. More than half the movie is devoted to interviewing fans. And yes, there are certainly some inspiring stories in the mix -- the couple who overcame a health scare and then devoted themselves to fundraising for Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's charity, the father who passed Hollywood vehicle restoration onto his son. But collectively, I really don't feel like I need to hear from 8 different people who all built their own replica DeLorean time machine, or the couple who got engaged on stage at a Back to the Future convention, or the tribute band that dresses up in costumes and performs "Power of Love." I am very aware that Back to the Future is great; you don't need to sell me on it.

So on the chance you're the kind of "deep dive" fan I am and not the "collective experience" fan this film is made for, I'll offer this warning. I found the documentary Back in Time a disappointing D+. But perhaps if a year of coronavirus has made you long for the convention experience, something about this movie might offer you a taste of that?