Many people consider Back to the Future to be one of the best movies ever made, and it certainly holds that honor to this day.
Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, is a high school student whose best friend builds a time machine. Marty's only chance of survival after being accidentally transported back in time 30 years is to make his mother, played by Lea Thompson, fall in love with his father, played by Crispin Glover.
How have the mother and son from Back to the Future felt about the filming of the movie and about each other since 1985?
Michael J. Fox Always Felt “Weird” About The Back To The Future Mother-Son Plot
In a conversation with Variety, Fox discussed the idea behind Back to the Future. He explained that the movie had a "bizarre" concept, adding that he had the same impression at the time.
“There’s something about it that people still respond to because it’s so weird. Not to be crude, but it’s a movie about almost f*cking your mom, and she’s totally ready for it. Even at the time, I realized it was bizarre.”
Fox acknowledges he wasn't always on his game during filming Back to the Future, despite his earlier acknowledgment of the film's out-of-the-ordinary premise.
Fox, who was also filming the sitcom Family Ties at the same time, rarely got any rest, sleeping for only a few hours a night before starting another all-nighter. According to Fox, this made the actor feel quite lost in real life, which was useful for playing Marty McFly.
Although Fox found the mother-son scenario to be completely out there, Thompson saw things very differently.
Thompson, who played Marty's mother in the film and its sequels, told People at the film's 30th anniversary celebration in 2015 that she still treasured an item from the infamous dance scene with Fox.
"It was beautifully made, and made to order for me," she described the dress she wore. "It's got a low-drop waist, and the way it was cut was just so beautiful. And it's still in great shape. I've still got the shoes. The shoes are even hard to get on now — my big ol' feet from having babies."
Thompson, though, has come to appreciate the film's enduring popularity over time.
"It seems like the last few years, it seems to have really taken that on," she said. "I mean, when I realized that my mother-in-law was watching the movie with her daughter, her daughter's daughter, and her daughter's daughter. I was like, 'Wow! That's the coolest thing ever.'"
Perhaps Fox and Thompson can agree to disagree.
Lea Thompson Got Emotional Over Seeing Her On-Screen Son Michael J. Fox Reach Retirement Age
Lea Thompson is still alive in 2023 to witness her "son" Fox retire. Let's hope this doesn't set off a chain reaction that rips the space-time continuum apart and destroys everything in the universe.
The actress had a good time with her Back to the Future co-star, who was on the cover of the latest issue of AARP The Magazine at that time.
"Ummm my son is on the cover of @AARP makes me feel proud," she tweeted with a picture of the feature. "And a bit old."
“Now THIS is heavy,” AARP replied, referencing the quote from one of Fox's most memorable Back to the Future scenes.
Fox has reached retirement age while living with Parkinson's disease, a degenerative ailment of the central nervous system, for which he has been an inspiration and tireless fundraiser for 30 years.
Thompson and Fox, who play teenagers in the 1985 smash with the exception of a few sequences in which Thompson plays his adult mother, are now both in their 60s and astonished at the film's enduring popularity.
Fox and Thomspon reunited on "Reunited Apart with Josh Gad" last year to reminisce about the movie and their time working together on the trilogy.
“I didn’t really have any idea that this movie would still have people that want to talk about it. That’s so incredible,” Thompson said.
Lea Thompson And Michael J. Fox Reunited For A Fan Expo
The cast of what is often considered the best science fiction film of all time still gets together occasionally as if it were yesterday.
Those lucky enough to attend Fan Expo Portland on February 17, 2023, may have caught a glimpse of a rare reunion between Michael J. Fox and Lea Thompson, as well as Christopher Lloyd and Tom Wilson, which is great news for Back to the Future fans.
Thompson posted multiple images and videos from the reunion on his Instagram.
“Wow honestly had the best time today with my Back to the Future family…so many fun fan moments too and a llama,” Thompson wrote. Wilson says, "Hello, anybody home?" while playfully knocking on Thompson's skull in one of the videos, alluding to one of his character's most memorable lines.
With the caption "Found the flux capacitor," Lloyd uploaded a photo of the four actors. The gadget that "makes time travel possible," as his character put it, "brought us all back to 2023 just in time."
Fox posted an Instagram story saying, “I love being at these FanExpo events and seeing some of my favorite people like Lea, Tom, Chris and all you #bttf heads. Heavy.”
Although several of them did meet up online in 2020 for Josh Gad's Reunited Apart series, nothing beats really being in the same room again, does it? Many of them have fond memories of the cast and crew of 1985's Back To The Future, so it's nice to see them enjoying themselves so much.
Despite having possibly the strangest on-screen interaction ever, it is a delight to see Fox and Thompson together.
Overall, the relationship between Michael J. Fox and Lea Thompson can be characterized as one of mutual respect, friendship, and camaraderie, stemming from their shared experiences while working on the beloved Back to the Future films.
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