A classic of pop cinema, Back to the Future gains resonance and nuance the older you get. Though on the surface this is a whiz-bang science-fiction action comedy, underneath director Robert Zemeckis has crafted a poignant reminder of the fleeting nature of youth. It’s eye-opening for both kids – who will realize their parents were once young, with their own teen lives – and mom and dad (who will be reminded of their own glory days). Michael J. Fox stars as 1980s teen Marty McFly, who is accidentally sent back to 1955 by his mad-scientist neighbor (Christopher Lloyd), where he unwittingly interferes with his parents’ high-school romance. Fox is amusingly befuddled throughout, but it is Lea Thompson, as Marty’s mom, who makes Back to the Future work. Her funny, carnal performance forces us all to face an ugly truth: once, our moms might have been prowling teens too. With Crispin Glover as Marty’s dad, beginning to blaze his own trail of weirdness.
