# Critical issue about "Back to the Future" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 30, 2011, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600 "2011-08-30T07:39:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/121 "2011-09-02T13:46:49Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Are we going to find out that **dougie** secretly stalked them a la One Hour Photo? Don’t make trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/122 "2011-09-02T13:48:28Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > It doesn’t matter. Rock is rock. It just repelled me. What kind of music do you like to listen to? ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/123 "2011-09-02T14:11:19Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > What kind of music do you like to listen to? better yet, what types of entertainment overall does he enjoy? books, music, television, theater, websites… ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/124 "2011-09-02T14:39:41Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > The only song that actually gets played is Johnny B Goode, so maybe you would’ve liked it if you’d stayed. Oh well. I don’t understand this line of argument. Yeah, I think **dougie** ’s aversion is odd, but Power of Love _did_ get showcased in the opening scene. So the band was never actually on screen; so what? If he doesn’t like rock (which is just weird, Power of Love is about as inoffensive as you can get), then it’s not going to matter whether it’s part of the soundtrack or they’re actually on screen. And if he doesn’t like rock, then Johnny B Goode is even worse than Power of Love. That would hardly help. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/125 "2011-09-02T14:53:46Z")
Oh he’d hate Johnny B. Goode. But his kids are gonna love it. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/126 "2011-09-02T14:57:23Z")
He could always turn up his iPod (playing Johnny Cash’s various hits) during the few scenes that rock gets played. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/127 "2011-09-02T14:58:16Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > He could always turn up his iPod (playing Johnny Cash’s various hits) during the few scenes that rock gets played. Johnny Cash was a drug addict. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/128 "2011-09-02T15:11:25Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Johnny Cash was a drug addict. And an Arkansan. Double whammy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/129 "2011-09-02T15:20:07Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > It doesn’t matter. Rock is rock. It just repelled me. Whether Huey Lewis and his combo appeared or not–OK, I stand corrected. But I didn’t look back to see what was on the screen as I went out into the lobby. > So many things have just passed me by. I guess you just weren’t ready for that, yet. But your kids are gonna love it. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/130 "2011-09-02T15:22:29Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Oh he’d hate Johnny B. Goode. But his kids are gonna love it. ::shakes fist:: What don’t you make like a leaf and get the hell out of this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/131 "2011-09-02T15:31:05Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Johnny Cash was a drug addict. And an adulterer. He also shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/132 "2011-09-02T15:38:22Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > It doesn’t matter. Rock is rock. It just repelled me. Whether Huey Lewis and his combo appeared or not–OK, I stand corrected. But I didn’t look back to see what was on the screen as I went out into the lobby. > So many things have just passed me by. If there is ever a fire you can be a hero by stretching yourself over it. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/133 "2011-09-02T15:40:25Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > \ I cared little or nothing for amplified guitars, fancy drumsets, high volume and a mind-numbing beat. \ ETA: DOH! **Enderw24** beat me to it! Oh well, I guess the movie was just too darn loud. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/134 "2011-09-02T15:44:50Z")
I can not believed I missed the opportunity for that joke. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/135 "2011-09-02T15:45:27Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > It doesn’t matter. Rock is rock. It just repelled me. Whether Huey Lewis and his combo appeared or not–OK, I stand corrected. But I didn’t look back to see what was on the screen as I went out into the lobby. > So many things have just passed me by. There’s a big difference between being passed by and willfully removing yourself from experiences. Your posts in this thread remind me of a quote from a TV show I’m sure would make you apoplectic if you ever watched it: “You’re living in the past, man. You’re hung up on some clown from the _60s_, man!” ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/136 "2011-09-02T15:46:07Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > And an adulterer. > > He also shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. And a public urinator. And a convict. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/137 "2011-09-02T15:59:03Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > And a public urinator. And a convict. > > -Joe And an _Air Force man._ ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/138 "2011-09-02T16:12:54Z")
I just can’t help myself, as I adore this movie… ( **dougie\_monty’s** quotes in bold) \*\*With this in mind I went to see Back to the Future, and had one too many straws put on my back. Specifically: these elements each irritated me just a little bit: 1. The movie opened on a filthy laboratory which had obviously been abandoned for a week.\*\* Doc had been gone for days, he’s a bit absent-minded, but he had hired Marty to come by to help clean up and assist the Doc. This isn’t seen in the movie, but it was addressed by the screenwriter Bob Gale. **2) Fox’s character was a snide little smart-aleck, the likes of which would, or should, get his teeth knocked out early on in the real world. In one scene, he pays as much attention to the infuriated high-school principal as he might to a blank wall.** Marty was late, because the Doc had set the clocks back 25 minutes as some weird experiment. Marty immediately exclaims he’s late for school, and hitches rides on his skateboard to get there as fast as possible. He tip-toes in, but Strickland was waiting for him. He gets reprimanded and _then_ on top of it, gets harassed by the principal. _“You’re a slacker McFly. Your father was a slacker too. You’ll never amount to anything but a hill of beans in Hill Valley.”_ So not only did the principal insult him, but his father as well. I’d be a smartass to such a dick too. Then again, this is fiction. And a comedy. 😉 \*\*3) At one point he hitches a ride (on skates) by holding on to the rear bumper of a police car. This may show Spielberg’s contempt for the police, but it’s a foolhardy and dangerous stunt that could even have put the stuntman’s life in jeopardy. \*\* Nitpick: Robert Zemeckis (not Spielberg, he was the exec. producer) That’s kinda what stuntmen\* do.\* They love it, and get _paid_ for it! Professional stuntmen have myriad stunts down to a science, making things far, far safer then they appear on the screen. Besides, I don’t think this particular stunt was very dangerous compared to about 95% of the entire action film catalog in existence. Just, um… don’t see Twilight Zone: The Movie. Or at least the first chapter. Helicopter accidents and decapitation happens, sometimes. **4) At Fox’s home, he finds out, not only has his father’s employer used Fox’s family car (without permission, presumably), but has wrecked it. And he treats the family, whose car he has just wrecked, to severe verbasl abuse in their own home! Sounds like something I might read about in The Daily Worker.** “He’s a bully!” But you didn’t see the rest of the movie, so you’re not putting into context the foreshadowing here. Also, the movie’s a comedy. And fiction. 😉 1. Huey Lewis and the News (billed in the opening credits, so I was at least forewarned) played one of their songs at one point. I stayed out in the lobby until it was done. This one I can understand. But I was 12 when I saw it, and loved _The Power of Love_ at the time. Okay, maybe I still do a little bit. But they playMr. Sandman and Earth Angel later on… maybe you can enjoy that one? _6) The topper was the old man (Christopher Lloyd) with Fox in a mall-parking lot; a VW bus full of maniacs approaches and they fire on Lloyd with sub-machine guns. As I have noted elsewhere, it isn’t the existence of negative elements in a movie that irritate me; it’s the combination of the six, and the apparent use of these elements to appeal to the viewer. Why would I want, for example, to see Arnold Schawrzenegger (in any movie) gun down helpless people with a howitzer, or whatever, unless I condoned murder myself?_ I’ll cut you slack, seeing you’ve admitted to some mental health problems, and you were probably so worked up and irked by this point, you didn’t catch the part where the Doc tells Marty that the flux capacitor is electrical, but the only thing that could generate 1.21 gigawatts was a nuclear reaction. So he conned some Lybians Nationalists, by telling them he’d build them a nuclear bomb if they could supply him the plutonium. What the Doc handed off in return was nothing but a facade filled with used pinball machine parts. Needless to say, the terrorists were pissed, and had no qualms with using automatic weapons on him. 'My God, they found me, I don’t know how, but they found me… RUN FOR IT MARTY!" This movie is the pinnacle of “movie magic” for me, as I’ve seen it dozens upon dozens of times. I’m sorry it’s so difficult for you to enjoy exaggerated works of fiction, and wish you could get out of it what the majority of moviegoers do from this movie, especially having lived through the 1950s yourself. If you do try to view this again, keep in mind that Marty is a good kid, in a bad situation, and it’s all set up for what he must overcome when he gets sent back in good ol’ 1955. Good luck, _dougie._ ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/139 "2011-09-02T16:27:02Z")
The irony is so delicious here, in that, **dougie’s** beef with the movie stems from the culture clash between the 80s and the 1950s when **dougie** grew up. That’s what 90% of the movie dwells on! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600/140 "2011-09-02T16:41:21Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Earth Angel later on… maybe you can enjoy that one? Hey! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical-issue-about-back-to-the-future/594600.md?page=8)