‘Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie’ is the Best Nostalgic, Endearing, and Uplifting Doc You’ll See This Year
Davis Guggenheim encapsulates a legendary man and his career.
I’m not the biggest Back to the Future fan out here. In fact, I’d argue that I’m not even one. As a kid, I watched the trilogy so many times (not necessarily because I loved them so much but because they were constantly on TV with nothing better to choose) in the 90s that I eventually became utterly bored by them. I couldn’t stand Teen Wolf at such a young age, either. Those two movies (especially for children) were the ones to sell you on Michael J. Fox. So I hadn't paid attention to his career and the films he was in until I learned about his Parkinson's disease. From then on, in a slow but steady trajectory, I've become an admirer of the man behind the bigger-than-life actor persona.
Now, I can confidently say that I'm a fan of Michael J. Fox today — not Marty McFly, not the actor, but the 61-year-old family man who kept his spirit intact while fighting a debilitating and demoralizing illness for over three decades.
Davis Guggenheim's bio-documentary, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, on Apple TV+, is a celebration of his life and career through a cinematic lens as well as an unfiltered one. It’s a project that required as much candor as it has a comprehensive approach putting its subject in the spotlight while also documenting his personal struggles behind the scenes with cutting honesty. The film isn’t just about Michael J. Fox, it is Michael J. Fox: the actor, the husband, the father, and the human being who didn’t allow his disease to define him. The culmination of those things is what makes Still the best celeb documentary you’ll see this year.
Through intriguing re-enactments and footage from various old flicks, we begin in 1990, in Florida, where Fox experienced the first symptom of his rapidly approaching Parkinson's. "It was a message from the future,” he says. Within these first few minutes, Guggenheim establishes a stylish cinematic quality he confidently employs throughout the documentary. It’s a smooth, sort of meta approach that allows the director to create the illusion of a biopic based on a true story. Not a very common method in the genre, but for the caliber of Michael J. Fox, it’s the right one because it gives the movie a seamless attribute that instantly becomes a part of its narrative.
After that opening sequence, Still settles into a more conventional structure to take us through Fox’s childhood, early career, and global fame until we arrive at the beginning of his illness. In the process, we get to know him intimately as a kid who was always on the move, speeding through life with a set of eyes that were smiling even when the rest of his face wasn’t. It’s a joy to watch little Mikey grow up on the screen, but it’s also elemental to the film to perfectly capture the core of his personality. There’s an inherent positivity to Fox (which we witness in almost every period of his life) that paints him as a determined and resilient underdog ready to do anything to make it.
Whether it was physical flaws (his height admittedly bothered him when he was young), financial barriers, self-esteem issues, or an incurable disease, Fox never stopped trying to impress. After he found a skill to make people laugh as an actor, he was up for the challenge to beat the odds and catch his big break.
One of the most compelling parts of the doc, naturally, is the depiction of the mid80s when he was simultaneously shooting Family Ties and Back to the Future — putting in 20-hour workdays on repeat for months without failing. His dedication and relentlessness as an actor come off as astonishing and admirable. And knowing how far they’ve taken him adds an extra emotional layer to these moments. But even after finding monumental success, Fox doesn’t retreat from admitting the damaging effects it had on him. He candidly shares how he neglected his family, working non-stop and becoming an irritating and insufferable Hollywood jerk who thought can get away with anything. What makes this affecting and poignant is the sincerity and humbleness with which he looks back and talks about those years.
He shares his battle with alcohol and how he used drinking (and later pills) to mask the symptoms of his Parkinson’s. Living with the constant fear of how the public will react and the unfortunate fact that it’ll inevitably change his acting (and career) was paralyzing to him. It started to change him for the worse, and he knew he didn't want to be that person. The reason he was able to avoid that is the unconditional support from his wife, Tracy Pollan. Although there aren't a ton of moments where we see the two of them together (besides their Family Ties scenes), Fox's love and appreciation for Tracy are ubiquitous. He never takes her for granted, and that gratitude is deeply felt in his entire being. The actor knows he wouldn't be the man he’s today without his wife — half of his strength to keep living and trying comes from her.
Still is inspiring without trying because of Fox’s openness and genuine personality. He’s still the funny, fierce, and easy-going guy he always was. Watching him isn't heartbreaking but rather endearing and uplifting. See, if you can still make people laugh and inspire them despite being in a body you can barely control anymore, if you still have a wife who’s madly in love with you with grown children still looking up to you, if you still have an impact in this world, nothing is impossible. And Still shows that these are the pillars of Michael J. Fox and why he gets up every day with goals, aspirations, and agendas to pursue because the spark in him to impress (and encourage) people has never left him.
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie is currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Recently, I reviewed Pete Davidson’s latest meta-comedy Bupkis on Peacock for Paste, and I also gathered the best underrated and/or underseen new TV shows (including The Power, Lucky Hank, The Big Door Prize, and more) for Looper. In the coming weeks, I will cover Apple TV+’s upcoming comedy Platonic and more. Stay tuned.
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