Confrontations
Here’s a brand new (occasional) feature at monthly posts with MileNerd.
Let’s call it…
One-moment microscope.
You know the movie. Marty McFly goes back to 1955. Finds the younger version of his parents. His world hangs in the balance. And our world? Blown away. Still cheering it on 40 years later. No doubt you’ve seen it multiple times. But, today, I’d like to show you something for the first time…
We’re going under the microscope. To look at a single word from Back To The Future.
(Yes, literally one word)
For this story to work, we have to see George McFly go through a major change. Marty’s dad is a coward. An embarrassment. His arc becomes one of the great surprises of the movie. Remember the first time you saw it? When George finds his courage and stands up to Biff? The entire audience fills with joy. You, me, and everyone else. We get it. Lorraine falls in love on the spot.
Because he’s not just a doormat anymore.
He’s brave.
Oh, but he has to get there…
See, his journey from wussification to strength is a major part of the story. George can’t just have balls from the start. Otherwise, there’s nowhere for him to go. So, let’s say you’re playing the character of George…
Who are you at the start? What’s your relationship like with Biff? And with your family? Clearly, none of them have a ton of respect for you. You’re a man with no backbone. Right?
So…
The audience needs to see who that is. We need to see it clearly. To feel bad when George gets picked on. To feel bummed for Marty having a dad like that. It’s important. Because that’s how we’ll really enjoy the big moment at the end. When George finally gets his triumph.
Please take a minute to look at this scene.
Feel free to watch the whole thing – but we’re really going to focus in on the 2:10 mark.
There’s one simple-yet-brilliant choice I’d like you to see. It’s a very quick little moment. But it’s part of what makes this movie special enough to live on for 4 decades. The choice is this…
Deciding that George is so timid, so afraid of confrontations…
…that he struggles just to say the word.
He. Literally. Has. To. Whisper. It.
That one choice tells us exactly who George McFly is. It helps set up his huge arc. Allowing us to bask in his glory later – when he chooses to be a different kind of man. Someone who no longer accepts being bullied. See, there are dozens of choices even in that short clip. But our micro-breakdown is about this one single word. This whisper.
It’s such a clever choice.
In a sense, it sets up the entire rest of the movie.
You get to go on a ride – with a coward who becomes a hero. Sharing in his big personal journey. You’ve watched many other stories about time travel. So, why did this one capture the imagination for decades?
It’s in these little choices and moments.
Under the microscope, they add up to something unforgettable.
