Back to the Future

Story

Moments after discovering that his car time machine works, eccentric scientist Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) is killed by terrorists. Teenage Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) uses the car to escape the terrorists but accidentally travels back in time from 1985 to 1955. Stranded in the past without a way to return, Marty seeks out the younger Doc’s help to get back to the future.

Things get tricky when Marty tangles with Biff (Thomas F. Wilson), the town bully. They become even complicated when Marty runs into his parents and accidentally disrupts their first meeting, which threatens his own existence as well as that of his siblings. To fix the timeline and guarantee his survival, Marty must ensure that his shy father George McFly (Crispin Glover) wins the heart of Marty’s future mother, Lorraine (Lea Thompson). Unfortunately, Lorraine has become infatuated with Marty instead of George.

With time running out and a lightning storm offering the only chance of powering the time machine, Marty races to restore his family’s history and return home. Along the way, he learns valuable lessons about courage and conviction helps to reshape the future of his family.

Themes

Bullying and the abuse of power; the complexities and ethics of time travel; dysfunctional family dynamics

Violence

Back to the Future has some violence. For example:

Marty is blasted backwards into a shelf by the force of a gigantic speaker. The shelf falls on Marty, covering him with books and papers, and the speaker is broken with a huge hole in the middle.
Biff grabs George McFly by the tie and knocks him on the head.
Marty and Doc are nearly hit by a car.
Libyan terrorists shoot Doc.
The terrorists shoot Marty and chase him down the street.
Marty hits a scarecrow with his car and crashes into a barn.
A farmer repeatedly shoots at Marty with a shotgun.
On several occasions, Biff knocks on George’s head and slaps him in the face.
Marty trips Biff and punches him in the mouth.
Biff and his gang chase Marty until they crash their car into a truck full of manure.
Biff drags Marty out of a car and 4 young men punch him, drag him and push him into the trunk of another car.
Biff tries to sexually assault Lorraine.
Biff shoves Lorraine to the ground and laughs.
George punches Biff in the face, knocking him unconscious.
Doc nearly falls off a clock tower and is almost electrocuted by a lightning strike.
Marty watches terrorists shoot Doc and come after him as he returns to his present time.

Sexual references

Back to the Future has some sexual references. For example:

Marty says incredulously, ‘My mother has got the hots for me!’
Doc tells Marty, ‘The only way those two will successfully mate is if you get them together’.
When Lorraine rejects Biff’s advances, he tells her, ‘You know you want it, and you know you want me to give it to you’. She replies, ‘I am not that kind of girl’.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Back to the Future shows some use of substances. For example:

Biff grabs a beer from George’s fridge and complains that all he has is light beer.
Lorraine holds a bottle of alcohol and drinks a lot during the day. It looks like she might be an alcoholic.
Lorraine grabs a bottle of alcohol from her mother’s liquor cabinet and drinks it in the car with Marty. He tells her to go easy on the stuff but takes a swig himself.
Lorraine lights a cigarette and starts smoking in Marty’s car.
A character makes a comment about drunk drivers after a car crash.
A homeless man is drunk on a park bench clutching a bottle of alcohol.

Nudity and sexual activity

Back to the Future has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:

George sits in a tree across from Lorraine’s bedroom window and watches her undress. She’s wearing only a bra and underpants.
Biff forces Lorraine down in a car and lies on top of her. She sits up at one point, begging for help.
Lorraine kisses Marty.
Lorraine and George kiss.
Marty and his girlfriend kiss.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in Back to the Future: Kal-Can dog food, Nike, Toyota, The Game of Life, JC Penny, DeLorean, Burger King, Toys R Us, TAB, Pepsi Free, Texaco and Bank of America.

Coarse language

Back to the Future has some coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Back to the Future is an iconic 1980s sci-fi adventure featuring a fast-paced, high-energy plot and special effects that were groundbreaking for the time. The movie is best suited to viewers aged over 12 years, with parental guidance recommended for children aged 10-12 years.

These are the main messages from Back to the Future:

You can define your own future by the choices you make and the actions you take in the present.
You should follow your dreams no matter how crazy they are.

Values in Back to the Future that you could reinforce with your children include creativity, persistence, integrity, determination and kindness.

Back to the Future could give you the chance to talk with your children about the importance of having respect for yourself and standing up for yourself. You could also talk about the real-life consequences of things like:

telling a girl what she wants instead of listening to what she says
not getting consent intimate activity
bullying others.