By: Jesse Striewski
As an avid fan, I’ve read several of Michael J. Fox’s previous books over the years, in addition to of course growing up watching his films and shows. But I had a feeling that Future Boy – which fully chronicles landing the role of Marty McFly in Back to the Future whilst juggling his already-established role of Alex P. Keaton on the hit sitcom Family Ties in the mid-’80s, would be one hell of a ride. (To this day the original remains one of my personal favorite films of all time)
From initial doubts and hesitations, to almost covertly becoming McFly while Actor Eric Stoltz was still more or less in the position of said lead role, to the ultimate aftermath/snowball effect the eventual decision to just go for it would ultimately have, there’s not a single moment of boredom to be found in between the front and back covers here.
The pace of that time frame in his life, zipping from a full day’s work at one set to another with little to no reprieve in between, is both commendable, and at times in many ways even relatable (my long lost days as a single father kept popping in my head while relieving some of Fox’s own struggles here).
Fox even narrows down several interesting thoughts about BTTF itself I had never considered before. For example – the ending of the original film, where Marty returns to his own time frame and finds his lackluster family now suddenly successful; is it truly a “happy ending,” knowing he now was not a part of any of the shared memories they all have together? (Deep stuff indeed)
To be given the type of insight on a specific moment of time that has had as huge of a cultural influence as Back to the Future has, truly feels like a gift here, and the tenacity that Fox has displayed – both then and now – deserves much respect. Thank you for sharing, Michael.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
