ⓘ Details

Movie TitleBack to the Future

Release DateJuly 3, 1985

TaglineHe was never in time for his classes... He wasn't in time for his dinner... Then one day... he wasn't in his time at all.

Runtime116 minutes / 1 hour 56 minutes

DirectorRobert Zemeckis

Screenplay Written ByRobert Zemeckis & Bob Gale

Based OnOriginal screenplay by Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale

Is It a Remake?No. Back to the Future is an original science-fiction comedy adventure.

BudgetApproximately $19 million

Box OfficeApprox. $222.5 million domestic / approx. $393.0 million worldwide by Box Office Mojo; The Numbers lists worldwide box office at approx. $398.2 million

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👥 Main Cast

Michael J. FoxMarty McFly

Christopher LloydDr. Emmett Brown

Lea ThompsonLorraine Baines McFly

Crispin GloverGeorge McFly

Thomas F. WilsonBiff Tannen

Claudia WellsJennifer Parker

Marc McClureDave McFly

Wendie Jo SperberLinda McFly

George DiCenzoSam Baines

Frances Lee McCainStella Baines

James TolkanMr. Strickland

J.J. CohenSkinhead

Casey Siemaszko3-D

Billy ZaneMatch

Harry Waters Jr.Marvin Berry

Donald FulliloveGoldie Wilson

Huey LewisBattle of the Bands Judge

Will HarePa Peabody

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🏆 Awards

⭐ Academy Award Winner — Best Sound Effects Editing: Charles L. Campbell and Robert R. Rutledge

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Original Screenplay: Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Original Song: “The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis, Chris Hayes, and Johnny Colla

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Sound

⭐ Hugo Award Winner — Best Dramatic Presentation

⭐ Saturn Award Winner — Best Science Fiction Film

⭐ Saturn Award Winner — Best Actor: Michael J. Fox

⭐ Saturn Award Winner — Best Special Effects

⭐ Golden Globe Nominee — Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy

⭐ National Film Registry — selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in 2007

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📖 Short Plot Summary

Marty McFly is a teenager from Hill Valley who accidentally travels from 1985 to 1955 in a DeLorean time machine invented by his eccentric friend Doc Brown. Stranded in the past without plutonium to power the car, Marty accidentally interferes with the moment his parents were supposed to fall in love. Now, with his own existence slowly disappearing, Marty must convince awkward young George McFly to stand up to bully Biff Tannen, win Lorraine’s heart, and get himself back to 1985 using a perfectly timed bolt of lightning from the Hill Valley clock tower.

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❝ Key Quotes

“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” — Doc Brown

“Great Scott!” — Doc Brown

“If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you’re gonna see some serious shit.” — Doc Brown

“Nobody calls me chicken.” — Marty McFly

“Make like a tree and get outta here.” — Biff Tannen

“Your kids are gonna love it.” — Marty McFly

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💡 Trivia

Director

Back to the Future was directed by Robert Zemeckis.
The screenplay was written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale.
Bob Gale and Neil Canton produced the film, with Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, and Kathleen Kennedy serving as executive producers.
The film’s time-travel story was reportedly inspired by Bob Gale wondering whether he would have been friends with his father if they had gone to high school together.
Zemeckis keeps the movie balanced as sci-fi, comedy, family story, teen romance, and high-speed clock-tower thriller — which is not exactly easy when your plot depends on your mom not having a crush on you.

Cast / Casting

Michael J. Fox stars as Marty McFly, the guitar-playing teenager thrown 30 years into the past.
Christopher Lloyd plays Doc Brown, the wild-haired inventor of the flux capacitor and cinema’s most panicked scientist.
Lea Thompson plays Lorraine Baines McFly, Marty’s mother as both a teenager and adult.
Crispin Glover plays George McFly, Marty’s awkward father, whose confidence becomes the key to saving Marty’s future.
Thomas F. Wilson plays Biff Tannen, one of the great 1980s bully villains.
Huey Lewis appears as the judge who tells Marty’s band they are “just too darn loud.”

Soundtrack / Score

The score was composed by Alan Silvestri.
“The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis and the News became one of the film’s signature songs and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
Huey Lewis makes a cameo as the Battle of the Bands judge.
The film also features “Back in Time” by Huey Lewis and the News.
Marty’s performance of “Johnny B. Goode” at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance is one of the film’s most famous music moments.
Silvestri’s main theme became one of the most recognizable adventure scores of the 1980s.

Location

AFI lists the production dates as November 26, 1984 through April 26, 1985 in Los Angeles, California.
The Hill Valley Courthouse Square was filmed on Universal’s backlot in Universal City, California.
Puente Hills Mall in City of Industry, California was used as Twin Pines Mall, later renamed Lone Pine Mall after Marty changes history.
Whittier High School was used for Hill Valley High School.
The Gamble House in Pasadena was used for the exterior of Doc Brown’s 1955 home.
The school dance was filmed in the basement of Hollywood United Methodist Church.

Behind-The-Scenes

The film was released by Universal Pictures on July 3, 1985.
AFI lists Dean Cundey as cinematographer, Arthur Schmidt and Harry Keramidas as editors, and Lawrence G. Paull as production designer.
The famous DeLorean time machine requires 1.21 gigawatts of power and must reach 88 miles per hour to travel through time.
AFI lists the runtime at 116 minutes and the MPAA rating as PG.
Box Office Mojo lists the budget at $19 million and worldwide box office at $392,976,852.
The Numbers lists worldwide box office at $398,210,208 across releases.

Nostalgia

Back to the Future became one of the defining pop-culture films of the 1980s.
The DeLorean, flux capacitor, clock tower, hoverboard teases, and “Great Scott!” all became part of mainstream movie language.
The film turned Michael J. Fox into an even bigger star and made Doc Brown and Marty McFly one of cinema’s most beloved odd-couple friendships.
The movie’s 1955 setting lets it play with nostalgia for the 1950s while also poking fun at the idea that the past was simpler or better.
For fans, it is still one of the cleanest examples of blockbuster storytelling: setup, payoff, comedy, heart, sci-fi rules, and a climax timed down to the second.

Easter Eggs

Twin Pines Mall becomes Lone Pine Mall after Marty crashes into one of Old Man Peabody’s pine trees in 1955.
The “Save the Clock Tower” flyer gives Marty the exact lightning-strike information he needs to return to 1985.
Goldie Wilson hears Marty say he will become mayor, planting the seed for his future political career.
Marvin Berry calls his cousin Chuck during Marty’s “Johnny B. Goode” performance, jokingly suggesting Marty helped inspire rock and roll.
The movie’s ending sets up the sequel with Doc returning from the future to warn Marty and Jennifer about their kids.

Misc.

Back to the Future is rated PG.
Box Office Mojo classifies the film as adventure, comedy, and sci-fi.
The film won the Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing.
The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2007.
Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists the episode as Episode 174, with Don rating it 5.00, Ken rating it 5.00, Jon rating it 5.00, and an overall rating of 5.00.

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