But I do think Back to the Future (hereafter “BTTF”) could be the most fun-to-watch movie ever made.¹  

Let me be candid here.  I am hopelessly biased towards BTTF.  I saw it as a 13 year old, right in those early adolescent, high imprint years.  I watched it with my parents — we were Family Ties fans — on opening night in one of those now rare, gigantic single-screen theaters with probably a thousand other excited people.  We laughed, we groaned, we cheered.  American cinema entertainment at its finest.  

But being hopelessly biased doesn’t mean I’m wrong!  

Nor am I alone in my BTTF esteem. IMDB slots BTTF in at #30 on their redoubtable top 250 movie list. Wikipedia says audiences and critics consider BTTF “among the best films ever made.”  (Hmm, maybe people are comparing BTTF to Godfather or Citizen Kane.) This guy says it is his all time favorite film. Some folks on Reddit think BTTF is the perfect movie.  So do these Redditors.

A Collider list of 10 Best Crowd Pleasing Movies has BTTF at #10.  I’d  say “crowd pleasing” is close enough to my “most fun-to-watch” standard.²  

So why do I think BTTF is the most fun movie to watch? 

Script and pacing. BTTF is one of those movies where everything works. There’s not a single clunky or boring moment.  You can’t wait to find out what happens next. 

Much credit for this goes to the stellar script and pacing. For example, the movie opens with dozens of ticking clocks, some overflowing dog food, a plutonium reference, all of which sound a bit dull on the page, but watching on the screen, it’s not.  You’re wondering, “What’s the deal with all those clocks?” 

A minute or two later we laugh as Marty, with his tiny yellow electric guitar, blows himself backwards by the hilariously oversized speaker.  Then a frantic, cryptic phone call from Doc (who is this Doc? we wonder), the clocks all ring at once– oh no, Marty is late for school!  Cue Huey Lewis’ rock anthem “The Power of Love” and we are hooked. 

We still don’t know the plot or anything about a time machineWhoever came up with using a sports car that has to hit 88 mph for a time machine instead of the usual “step into a box-like thing, turn the dial and travel” was a genius. but it doesn’t matter. 

Sometimes movies just work.  

Actors. Besides a great script and pacing, BTTF benefits from Michael J. FoxIncredibly, MJF was, for several months, doing Family Ties during the day and BTTF at night. He slept in the car driving him between sets and a luminous Lea Thompson in their Hollywood primes.  Like the audience, they’re having a great time in the middle of a rollicking plot that never lets up.  

The supporting actors are all gold, highlighted by zany Christopher Lloyd and the earnest Crispin Glover. Seriously, did anyone in this movie — from Michael and Lea down to the “Save the clock tower!” lady – ever have a better career highlight than their BTTF role?  

I’d like to pause here for a moment and posit that Marty’s father, George McFly, is the hidden core of BTTF.  When Marty McFly successfully gets back home to 1985, he is still the same person.  He just has a more successful family and a sweet Toyota truck – basically his teenage dreams came true.  But his father, George, is transformed.    

I mean, he knocks outI didn’t see that knockout coming until the moment it happened.  Like everybody else, I was waiting for Marty or somebody – Lorraine? –  to intervene and save George. Biff! 

Moreover, Glover’s acting is next level – Michael J. Fox even agrees.  Glover plays three distinct characters – the pathetic, older George McFly (that laugh!); the younger, energetic, but unpopular (yet undeniably kind of cute– you can envision Lorraine liking him) version of George McFly; and then at the end,  the confident and successful older version of George.³  He’s hilarious in the first two roles, and downright inspiring in the third.  (Shout out here to Lea Thompson who also plays three different characters – old and tired Lorraine, randy young Lorraine, and older Lorraine now married to a successful George.)   

Heart. BTTF has heart, that ineffable element that can’t be forced. We care about these characters. We’re rooting for George McFly. We hope Doc Brown survives the Libyans. And we love the bond between Marty and Doc Brown. Even though the pairing makes no sense — Marty is a high school slacker who wants to be a rock star and Doc is an odd-ball gifted scientist. We still care.

Combine that script and plot with actors in their prime cast in roles that seem made for them, a bit of movie-magic dust in all the right places, and you have the most-fun-to-watch movie ever.  

The great thing about BTTF is that you don’t have to be a child of the ’80s to adore it. My dadMy Dad (RIP 1939-2022) always cracked up when Christopher Lloyd popped out of the DeLorean at the end, dressed wildly in 2015 styles, silver sunglasses and all., a child of the ’50s, loved it. And my daughter, a child of the 2010s, loves it also.  She even has a Lego model of the BTTF DeLorean.

In 2015, we attended a BTTF 30th anniversary screening with live National Symphony Orchestra accompaniment at Wolf Trap National Park. Several DeLoreans (one of them had a replica Flux Capacitor and time travel read-outs like the movie) were parked at the entrance and Lea Thompson and director Robert Zemeckis showed up.  The concert hall and outdoor lawn area were packed with over 7000 people of all ages.     

The most fun-to-watch movie ever has to have a fun ending.  And the BTTF ending— are you kidding me? Epic. The truck, the girlfriend, and Doc’s flippant finale, “Roads?  Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.Ronald Reagan – who knew his way around a good line –  later quoted this in a State of the Union speech.” Boom!  The whole theater cheered.  Many of us still are.

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1. I’d say BTTF is a great answer to the question: Why do we make movies?  In other words, if an alien visitor to our planet were to ask, “hey, humans, I’ve been wondering, what is up with this whole movie thing?  Why do you make and watch so many of these two hour things?” you could do worse than handing them BTTF and say “just watch this.”
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2. If I may quibble, the Collider list contains several movies on their list that are terrific movies but I’m not sure I would not place them in the crowd pleaser (or fun to watch) category.  Casablanca (#6), Lord of the Rings (#2)? Hmm. Their #1 is The Shawshank Redemption.  I love Shawshank. One might even argue that it is in the discussion for one of the greatest movie ever made – IMDB famously has it #1 on their top movies list –  but I hesitate to call it a  “crowd pleaser’.  Or fun to watch. It takes place in a prison. Innocent people die.  I’d hesitate to show Shawshank to kids under 16.
   
   Crowd-pleasers should be fun!  A rollicking good time.  You should feel some suspense, but not stressed.  Good guys shouldn’t die (permanently).  There don’t need to be any deep messages along the lines of the Power of Friendship.  Or Of Love.  In fact, there probably shouldn’t be too much deep thinking at all.  
   
   A crowd pleaser — you’re just there for to laugh and cheer and maybe walk out of the theater giving high fives to your friends.  Collider lists Princess Bride at #5.  Yes, that’s what I’m talking about. Star Wars at #3, sure.  Top Gun: Maverick (#9), yes.  Crowd pleasers all.  
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3.  Apparently Glover could be difficult to work with and had his own ideas about the how the movie should develop, even disagreeing with the happy ending.  He drove director Zemeckis nuts. And he didn’t participate in the rest of the trilogy (stories vary why).  Fun fact: when the studio used Glover’s digital likeness without his permission in BTTF 2, he sued and won a big victory that every actor should be thankful for – their images may not be used without compensation. ︎

Since it’s December, I feel impelled to post something related to the Great Debate – what is the best Christmas movie?  

Arguably, the Great Debate is actually whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie.  This debate comes down to whether you believe that a movie that happens to take place around Christmas time – such as Die Hard or, say, Gremlins –  is a Christmas movie the same way a movie about Christmas itself –  How the Grinch Stole Christmas! or A Christmas Story, for example.    

I’m going to skip that debate and include both schools of thought.  I’m on solid ground.  According to the Rotten Tomatoes Christmas movie ranker a Christmas movie can fall into either category.  Rotten Tomatoes (hereafter “RT”) throws in all the movies above and many others, including some that I had no idea had any Christmas element.¹  

Also, this post is about my favorite Christmas movie, not the objective best.  Based on their formula, RT puts The Shop Around the Corner at the top of their list.  Number One.  I’ve seen Shop Around the Corner and liked it – it has Jimmy Stewart, of course it’s great! –  but it does not even make my finalists.   

The question for me is this:  if I’m looking to be entertained while feeling good around the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, what movie would I watch?  

Here we go:

Honorable Mentions:  

Gremlins It’s hilarious and gross. And kind of a miracle it even got made. Plus, who can forget Rockin’ Ricky?

The Holdovers A bit too recent for nostalgia purposes (though I’ve already seen it twice) but give it some time. I love Giamatti in this.

While You Were Sleeping World, we’d like to introduce you to Sandra Bullock.

and Catch Me If You Can An all time favorite movie of mine with Leo and Hanks at the top of their game. There is more Christmas in this movie than I first realized. 

All right, with those very HMs out of the way, our countdown commences: 

#5  National Lampoons Christmas Vacation (1989) (#64 on the Rotten Tomatoes list)

I unintentionally started referring to this movie as Chevy Chase’s Christmas Vacation years ago and I understand why.  It is peak Chevy Chase from start to finish.  Clark Griswold just wants to give his family and loved ones a perfect old fashioned family Christmas.  High jinks ensue.  

Any good Christmas movie has to have some tender moments, even a straight up comedy like this.  My favorite is when Clark’s dad appreciates his son’s work to illuminate the house – “It’s a beaut, Clark!” as an emotional Clark gushes back, “Thanks, Dad, you taught me everything I know about exterior illumination.” 

The whole cast comes through.  Obviously Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie, but also Beverly D’Angelo as Clark’s sympathetic and supportive wife.  Enjoy pre-Seineld Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the hot, hip, and harassed next-door neighbor.  And I didn’t know until today that Johnny Galecki of more recent Big Bang Theory fame played Clark’s son, Rusty!

Favorite scene:  For me, it has to be the entire Christmas light illumination scene, especially when the lights flip on for the first time – cue grand strains of “O Come All Ye Faithful” along with the town’s auxiliary nuclear power source.  And the neighbors getting blinded.  Genius. 

Incidentally, Mrs. Anysecondnow can’t watch this movie – Cousin Eddie is just too much for her.  But I’d say that’s the mark of an actor doing his job well, right?  

#4 Die Hard (1988) (#11 on the RT list)

If Die Hard is going to be a Christmas movie, then it’s going to be high on my list because, wow, what a ride.  

Die Hard is one of the greatest action movies ever made with many bonus points for how unexpected it all was.  Apparently, no one could picture Bruce Willis as an action hero.  People actually laughed during the trailer according to Netlix’s Movies That Made Us documentary series (a must-watch if you like Die Hard).  

As a teenager, I had no pre-conceived notions about Bruce Willis and loved Die Hard from the beginning, seeing it at least three or four times in the theater.  I brought several of my dates to watch it with me.  I doubt they were impressedIn my defense, I recently screened it for Mrs. Anysecondnow and she liked it very much.  Just the right balance of action and fun for her.  Really for everybody..

Also some shout outs to my favorite movie villain, Alan Rickman, in his Hollywood debut; Bonnie Bedelia going head to head with the Shakespeare trained Rickman; and the TV journalist everyone loves to hate, played by William Atherton (basically reprising his Ghostbusters Walter Peck role). 

None of the sequels lived up to the original (though I rather liked Live Free or Die Hard) but we’ll always have “Come out to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few laughs. . . “ 

Favorite scene:  Showing off Die Hard’s exemplary mix of action and humor, I’m going with the tipping point scene where McClane drops a body on Al Powell’s police car to get his attention.  Cut to Argyle the limo driver obliviously rockin’ out to a Stevie Wonder tune in the limo back seat, while in the background Powell and his police car frantically flee the scene going way off road.  In reverse. It’s at 4:07 in the clip. 

#3 How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) (#43 on the RT list)

We finally made it out of the 1980s (but we’ll be back!) with this 25 minute holiday gem.  

A staple of December seasonal programming in the pre-VHS and DVD days, Grinch somehow only lands at the #43 spot under RT’s secret formula despite a 100% fresh rating. 100% sounds about right. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love this show.  The overlong, unfunny, astronomically bigger budget 2000 live action Jim Carrey version only underscores the 1966 perfection. 

Every time I watch Grinch – and we watch it every December – I feel like it should be screened in film schools as a shining example of how to create a compelling movie story.  

Any viewer – from a 3 year old to a 103 year old  – can grasp the conflict within the first few minutes – the Grinch hates the Who Christmas because they’re too loud!  And then we are dying to know What. Happens. Next.  Grinch paces the action perfectly, pausing momentarily with a little amusing song or vignette, before racing off again to the next scene.

Boris Karloff’s voice is perfect and the I love the animation: simple yet magnificent.  Check out the various Grinch facial expressions throughout, especially this one. And those teeth!

Never too sweet or too mean or scary, we always smile like this when Grinch is showing.  

Favorite scene:  Almost any scene with the Grinch’s woebegone sidekick dog, Max, who probably just wants to hang out with the Whos.  He gets his wish at the end.   

#2 Scrooged (1988) (#67 on RT list)

And we’re back to the late 80s.  There is some divided opinion on Scrooged and Murray’s performance, but I like it.  Bottom line, if you like Bill Murray, and I generally do, you’re probably going to like Scrooged.  it’s his movie and I’d say they got the right guy.  Murray plays Mr. Frank Cross, a classic curmudgeon and total schmuck.  I feel like Bill is probably playing himself a bit here, just much more intense.  “Have you tried staples?”

This movie, like Grinch, is about transformation.  Mr. Cross, a fictional IBC entertainment CEO loves high broadcast ratings and despises people.  If great ratings result from ruining someone else’s life, even better.  A visit from his now dead former boss, then various Christmas ghosts, along with his old girlfriend, ClaireSpeaking of the girlfriend, if like me, you didn’t get enough Karen Allen from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Starman, you’ll enjoy seeing her here opposite Murray as Claire, the good and pure social worker.  I’m not sure the romantic chemistry between them ever quite works – Jack and Rose they are not –  but Allen is a welcome balance to Murray’s zany-ness. , turn him around. 

Favorite scene:  Has to be the final scene.  Sufficiently terrified by the Ghost of Christmas future, a now transformed Mr. Cross interrupts the live broadcast of his own Christmas Eve show to proclaim the sheer joy of doing good: “The miracle can happen to you!”   

Murray’s heartfelt monologue then rolls into a joyous “Put a Little Love in Your Heart”, ending in Murray breaking the fourth wall and exhorting movie theater audiences to join in the singing. I’d like to think this actually happened in a few theaters.  

It didn’t in mine. I was watching with one of my teenage crushes, Brooke, and wanted to sing along as Murray was urging us.  I didn’t have the guts.  

#1 It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)  (#10 on RT)

Is this the greatest American movie ever?  It’s on my short list.  The American Film Institute initially put it at #11 on their top 100 movies list. IMDB has it at #21.

It wasn’t always so. Many critics panned It’s A Wonderful Life for being too sentimental when it first came out.  It actually lost money.  (However, it did score 5 Oscar noms, including Best Picture, so clearly there were plenty of people who thought it was pretty good at the time.)    

It’s A Wonderful Life only got popular when the studio didn’t bother to renew the copyright in the early 1970s.  Television networks realized they had a nostalgic holiday movie they could show during the Christmas season without paying royalties, and so they did.  And a mostly forgotten movie became an American film icon.  People adore this movie. 

I have a theory of why It’s A Wonderful Life got popular decades after its release:  It reminds us Americans of a time that never really was.  

People watch it and feel nostalgia for their youth.  Or what they picture as their youth and what America used to be. When everyone lived in a town called Bedford Falls and looked out for each other and obeyed the law and hardly ever cussed.  

“You couldn’t make that movie today, it’s too sentimental,” we say, “but that’s what life was like back in the 1940s.”   I suspect most of us know that America was never quite as good as depicted in It’s A Wonderful Life.  Although we like to think it was, even though there was crime, corruption, abuse, and nastiness as much as today.  Even more in some cases.²   If you were a different color, or a woman, you are far more free in America today than you were in 1946.

For me the pull of this movie is that it shows what America aspires to be.  We yearn to be this good, to rally around George Bailey, and I think that is wonderful.  

Favorite scene:  I’m giving an honorable mention here to the very funny scene where George first meets his guardian angel, Clarence.  Bailey’s cynicism against Clarence’s earnestness while they dry out in the toll bridge hut always cracks me up. 

But of course my favorite scene – everybody’s favorite scene –  is the end when George realizes he’s alive again. George Bailey’s pure jubilation of just being alive even when he’s headed to jail always gets me.  (Jimmy Stewart was born for this role, right?) Near the end, we get that magnificent toast – “To my big brother George, the richest man in town!” –  from his war hero brother and then a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne.  I mean, come on.  

This scene is the first time I cried while watching a movie (and trying to hide it from my Mom in our living room). 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to us all.

1. This probably says something about our society, but RT has a separate Christmas horror movie ranking.  There are 50 titles.  My daughter has probably seen many of these.   Moving on . . .
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2. Even It’s A Wonderful Life itself shows that things weren’t always peachy.  The critical plot point in the movie centers on an already too rich guy — Mr. Potter — who steals $8K (equivalent to almost $150K today). Mr. Potter then happily tries to frame the rightful owner of the money for embezzlement so he can then foreclose on townspeople’s mortgages. And he doesn’t get caught. ︎