Still: A Michael J Fox Movie is a wonderful celebration of the great man – review
Still, A Michael J Fox movie review and star rating: ★★★★★
For viewers of a certain generation, watching Michael J Fox in Still will inevitably bring sadness. The man who became an icon of Hollywood cinema as Marty McFly in Back To The Future has been living with Parkinson’s Disease since 1991, publicly disclosing his condition ten years later.
However, to look upon the Canadian as someone to be pitied would be to miss the point of this new film about his journey. Directed by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth), confessionals and cleverly edited footage are used to chart Fox’s journey from a diminutive Alberta youngster to one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
Those looking for cinema trivia may be disappointed, as this is more about the man than the movies. He talks about his insecurities as a jobbing actor, the exhaustion of shooting sitcom
Family Ties during the day and then heading straight to the Back To The Future set at night, and how his relationship with future wife Tracy Pollan saved him from disappearing up his own backside. His health has dimmed the public memory of that that period of success, so it’s fascinating to be reminded of his leap from unknown to household name in just a few years.
His health has dimmed the public memory of his earliest successes, so it’s fascinating to be reminded of his leap from unknown to household name in just a few years
While it isn’t all he is, Fox’s condition certainly looms large. It is heart-breaking to see montages of his attempts to hide a hand tremor in various projects in the 90s, as well as stories of timing medicine to maximise his productivity, and cramming roles in simply to get away from reality. Guggenheim and Fox offer a raw and honest portrait, one that doesn’t linger on the negatives about his condition, but rather, looks at the fight of a man who never wants to slow down.
Still isn’t about fame, or illness, but instead the strength of character it takes to navigate both. “I’m a tough son of a bitch” Fox declares early on, and Guggenheim’s triumphant film only cements that claim.
Still: A Michael J Fox Movie is available on Apple TV+ from May 12
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