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‘Back to the Future’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan

May 19, 2020 · Back to the Future (1985) · Adventure · Comedy · Sci-Fi · 1:28:12

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Bill Simmons▶ 16:58$381 million worldwide box office, $210 million domestic, won Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing, highest grossing film of 1985, followed by Rambo ($150M) and Rocky IV ($127M), spawned franchise with sequels, animated series, theme park ride, video games, comics, and stage musical
Sean Fennessey▶ 15:39Original concept was a refrigerator time machine instead of DeLorean, which wouldn't have created the same cultural phenomenon

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 23:46The action scene of Marty going from 1955 to 1985 at the end - the eight-minute sequence

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 48:10Can you tie the skateboard boom to this movie?
Chris Ryan▶ 48:15Agrees the movie could have mainstreamed skateboarding beyond Southern California punk culture, and wonders if the truck-grabbing scenes led to accidents

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 57:04Huey Lewis as the winner for what's aged the best
Chris Ryan▶ 54:41Studio backlots and Alan Silvestri's score
Sean Fennessey▶ 56:28Christopher Lloyd has aged the best because he hasn't aged at all

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 1:00:36Agrees with the rock and roll concept aging poorly, compares it to Forrest Gump's similar approach of having the protagonist interact with significant historical moments
Chris Ryan▶ 1:00:31Marty McFly inventing rock and roll

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:01:06John Lithgow — Discusses John Lithgow as original choice for Doc Brown, JJ Cohen originally cast as Biff, Melora Hardin originally cast as Jennifer, and jokes about Al Pacino screen test
Chris Ryan▶ 1:01:15John Lithgow — Agrees Lithgow would have been good, describes him as 'ageless kind of guy', participates in Al Pacino joke by doing impression
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:19John Lithgow — John Lithgow might have been better than Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown - 'I've never not liked John Lithgow in a movie'

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:31Courtney Gains — Malachi from Children of the Corn (the redheaded guy from Can't Buy Me Love)
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:04:24Marc McClure — Suggests Mark McClure (Jimmy Olsen from Superman movies who plays Dave McFly) but agrees with Malachi pick

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:07:39Doesn't think there's a clear winner, suggests maybe Leah Thompson's dad or the principal, but ultimately believes nobody fits the category well enough
Chris Ryan▶ 1:08:45James Remar — Suggests James Remark from 48 Hours but doesn't strongly advocate for any particular choice
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:07:30Paul J. Wilson — Suggests Thomas F. Wilson as Biff but acknowledges he might be in too many scenes, also mentions James Tolkien as Franklin as a possibility

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:13:26Michael J. Fox — Yes for Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Claudia Wells, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson, Pepsi Free, Pepsi in general, and Robert Zemeckis. Also discussed time travel apex mountain.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:15:24Back to the Future — Yes for time travel apex mountain over Lost - this popularizes time travel ideas that only scientists had contemplated before
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:14:58Robert Zemeckis — Yes for Robert Zemeckis - this sets him up for anything he wants to do, even though he later wins Best Director for Forrest Gump

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:30Great Scott!
Chris Ryan▶ 1:18:49Where we're going, we don't need roads.

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:26:22Michael J. Fox
Chris Ryan▶ 1:27:23Michael J. Fox
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:26:17Michael J. Fox

Movies Referenced (52)

Forrest Gump (1994)

7 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 3:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Titanic (1997)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 3:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Contact (1997)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 18:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Draft Day (2014)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 0:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Heat (1995)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:02:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Teen Wolf (1985)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 6:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Godfather (1972)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 53:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Top Gun (1986)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Apocalypse Now (1979)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 26:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Basic Instinct (1992)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 47:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ghostbusters (1984)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 3:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Home Alone (1990)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 3:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (16)

Robert Zemeckis

21 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, Contact▶ 1:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steven Spielberg

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan▶ 1:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Christopher Nolan

3 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Tenet, Interstellar, Inception▶ 20:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brian De Palma

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Body Double, Dressed to Kill, The Bonfire of the Vanities▶ 19:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Frank Capra

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for It's a Wonderful Life, It Happened One Night▶ 36:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joe Dante

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Gremlins▶ 22:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joe Johnston

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Raiders of the Lost Ark▶ 22:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Hughes

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, The Breakfast Club▶ 23:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John McTiernan

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Die Hard, Last Action Hero▶ 23:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Martin Scorsese

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Taxi Driver, Killers of the Flower Moon, Mean Streets▶ 19:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Mann

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans▶ 22:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sean Penn

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking▶ 35:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (52)

Eric Stoltz

22 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Pulp Fiction, The Butterfly Effect▶ 25:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Huey Lewis

19 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Back to the Future▶ 6:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Claudia Wells

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Back to the Future▶ 53:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael J. Fox

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Back to the Future, Back to the Future Part II▶ 1:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Christopher Lloyd

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Back to the Future, The Addams Family▶ 1:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Crispin Glover

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for River's Edge▶ 1:04:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Calvin Klein

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 41:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chuck Berry

7 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Men in Black, Back to the Future▶ 1:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

C. Thomas Howell

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial▶ 31:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Charlie Sheen

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Wall Street▶ 30:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dennis Quaid

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Far from Heaven, The Day After Tomorrow▶ 1:11:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joaquin Phoenix

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Walk the Line, Gladiator▶ 1:05:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (7)

Bob Gale

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Back to the Future▶ 14:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 17:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bruce Springsteen

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Wrestler, Philadelphia▶ 50:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Daniel Biagi

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Elysium, The Shape of Water▶ 1:21:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

George Lucas

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, THX 1138, American Graffiti▶ 19:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Milius

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Conan the Barbarian, Jeremiah Johnson, Apocalypse Now▶ 19:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Goldman

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride▶ 15:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗