Still A Michael J Fox Movie Review – Heart warming Funny and Moving

In this review, I shall be taking a close look at Still A Michael J Fox Movie. When we think of Michael J. Fox we immediately think of some of the most iconic characters in cinema. A prime example is Marty McFly from the ‘Back to the Future’ film series.

But how did Michael J. Fox become the Hollywood icon and household name that we all know and love?

To start with, Director Davis Guggenheim incorporates archival and scripted elements along with interviews with Michael J. Fox to give us an in-depth and personal look into his career from TV star to Hollywood actor.

We learn that from an early age Fox loved to be anything but ‘still’. His childhood was carefree and full of energy.

Being quite short for his age gave him the illusion of being younger than he actually was. A disadvantage of his time at school as he was the easy target for bullies (which he would often run away from, if not being stuffed in a locker). However, it came as a strong advantage for his drama work which in turn led him to land his first acting role. Fox paints the picture of his early career being very hard for a young actor looking to make his big break in Hollywood. The roles kept coming in, but after deductions in his paychecks, the money just wasn’t there. Running out of hope and money, all seemed lost in his dream of being an actor.

That was until the TV sitcom (and first big role) ‘Family Ties’. We find out that the studio was actually against casting Fox at the time. However, after just the pilot episode of the first season, the audience immediately fell in love with him and landed him the leading role in the show.

Now, I know Michael J. Fox best from the ‘Back to the Future’ films. It’s my favourite Science fiction trilogy of all time. Yet little did I know the stress that was involved for Fox in filming the movie. I had no idea that he balanced working on the film whilst still working on ‘Family Ties’. We lean into a hectic montage sequence that Fox was filming ‘Family Ties’ in the day then immediately working on ‘Back to the Future’ in the evenings, all while getting barely 2hrs sleep in between. He goes on to tell us that this went on for 3 months. Fox believed that his acting for the film wasn’t on par with what he could really achieve due to losing himself in the roles, getting confused about which work was which and at times forgetting who he was himself.

How very wrong he was!

This is the part in the documentary where we reach the point where Fox’s career flourishes. Where he had finally made his big break as an actor..

But then again, this isn’t a story about Michael J. Fox’s career and filmography.

No. It’s a film about him dealing with Parkinson’s Disease.

Now I admit I’m not the most well-educated person on Parkinson’s disease. I know no one diagnosed with it and I don’t really understand the effects that it has on a person.

So this film was a real eye-opener for me.

I am aware that Fox has the disease and have noticed the difference in his performances over the years. The first notable for me was his cameo as Dr. Kevin Casey in the tv series ‘Scrubs’.

However, Guggenheim weaves the narrative from Fox’s rise to fame into his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease so flawlessly that the pacing of the documentary flows and doesn’t feel like a film of two halves. As he states at the start of the film (about everyone owning their own narrative) “Michael J. Fox gets this deliberating disease and it crushes him” presumably talking about the possible message for the film or direction to take the documentary in. Fox sits there for a moment staring at the camera and simply replies with a hint of a smile “Yeah, that’s boring”. This then instantly sets the tone for the film.

Michael J. Fox is a funny guy through and through. He has built his career on injecting comedy into any role he plays. And this really is reflected in this documentary.

Like Guggenheim states, most films about a debilitating disease like cancer or Parkinson’s are often sombre affairs that use drama to get their message across, whereas ‘Still’ uses humour along with some heartfelt moments to portray the story it wants to tell.

I was laughing out loud for most of the film at the way that Fox, Guggenheim and editor Michael Harte have used humour to offset what is seen as a very serious and upsetting disease.

This is then contrasted with some truly moving moments from Fox’s personal life. I found myself watching with tears rolling down my cheeks only to then have a smile brought back to my face moments later with Fox’s humour lightening the mood.

‘Still’ is truly a mixture of emotions when watching. It gives you an insight into one man’s career and family being suddenly hit by this incurable disease, to then seeing him try to fight & hide from it, to then mentally having to come to terms with his diagnosis and then learning to live with it. It’s an insight that really lets me appreciate Michael J. Fox more, not just as a well-known actor but as a person as well.

Nowadays we tend to see actors as these larger than life icons who are above the social norm that we live by. We idolise them and see them as something more than what we are. We tend to forget that they are normal people just like us trying to make a living in one of the best jobs in the world.

Guggenheim’s direction with ‘Still’ and the way he takes the story humanises Michael J. Fox. We start to see the other side of the Hollywood actor. We start to see the loving husband and father. The man who testified in front of Congress asked for increased funding in research towards Parkinson’s disease. The man who created the ‘Fox Foundation’ mobilised the Parkinson’s community and raised nearly 2 Billion dollars towards helping research.

What Davis Guggenheim has done, is shown the world the legacy that Michael J. Fox has created, not just from his acting work, but from his selfless work in raising awareness for his own disease and for many others diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

‘Still’ is truly the most heart-warming, Funny and moving movie of the year that you need to see. It sure is my top film of the year, and I have a feeling it will be yours too!

‘Still’ gets a 10 out of 10.