Eric Stoltz made me understand the tragedy of the ending of Back to the Future and the inhumanity of the American Dream
- Thread starter Skipper
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Same here.
And...he didn't bother using hair dye to cover up going grey because he didn't care so much about something like that either. As opposed to how in the old timeline he used it.
Biff may or may not have been somewhat better off either. Because while he wasn't a Supervisor at some business anymore, he WAS now responsible enough to have started his own business and run it which isn't easy.
Biff may or may not have been somewhat better off either. Because while he wasn't a Supervisor at some business anymore, he WAS now responsible enough to have started his own business and run it which isn't easy.
I went to high school from 1986 to 1989 in Woodinville, WA, a suburb of Seattle located on the east side of Lake Washington. I would say that amongst our circle of friends, we all could have been considered 'Middle' to 'Upper Middle' class; no one was considered 'rich' or 'wealthy'. You were considered 'rich' or 'wealthy' if you attended the Lake Washington School District and lived in Bellevue or on Mercer Island.
Almost no one drove a new car to school, if they could afford a car; most drove their parents 'hand me down', when the parents bought a new car. Others had 'project' cars; the car that they were restoring. My brother and I drove a 1967 GMC 'three on the tree' pickup that we inherited when my mother's father passed away. My 11th grade yearbook has a center spread devoted entirely to students and their VW Beetles. Fifty altogether. If you bought a new car, it was because you worked after school and saved up enough money to buy one.
I think George may have used some of the money advanced to him from his publisher based on advance sales of his first novel to buy Marty the Toyota. That's probably all that was intended by that scene.
Almost no one drove a new car to school, if they could afford a car; most drove their parents 'hand me down', when the parents bought a new car. Others had 'project' cars; the car that they were restoring. My brother and I drove a 1967 GMC 'three on the tree' pickup that we inherited when my mother's father passed away. My 11th grade yearbook has a center spread devoted entirely to students and their VW Beetles. Fifty altogether. If you bought a new car, it was because you worked after school and saved up enough money to buy one.
I think George may have used some of the money advanced to him from his publisher based on advance sales of his first novel to buy Marty the Toyota. That's probably all that was intended by that scene.
I went to high school from 1988 to 1990 in Everett, not too far from there. Howdy, neighbor.
Well from your description it doesn't sound like a "'Middle' to 'Upper Middle' class" habit to casually give your kid a new car. Unless the advance on the book was a truly astronomical amount I think if parents wanted to use the money for their kid it would have been wiser to put it, say, into a college fund. So unless the new McFlys were financially irresponsible, we can safely assume they were a bit above "Upper Middle Class".
edit: Just for fun, asked chatGPT
Sure!
Yes, in 1985, the **Toyota Hilux SR5 4x4** was considered a fairly expensive vehicle, especially for someone like Marty McFly.
Here’s why:
1. **Price** – In 1985, a brand-new Toyota Hilux SR5 4x4 cost between **$11,000 and $14,000** (which is about **$30,000–$40,000 today**, adjusted for inflation). It wasn’t exactly cheap for a high school student!
2. **Status Symbol** – In the ’80s, 4x4 pickup trucks were becoming very popular in the U.S., especially among young people and off-road enthusiasts. A Hilux like Marty’s, with a roll bar, auxiliary lights, and chrome wheels, was definitely seen as a cool ride!
3. **Who Paid for It?** – In the movie, the altered timeline makes Marty’s father, George, wealthy and successful, so he likely bought the truck as a gift for Marty. In the original timeline, Marty wanted it but probably couldn’t afford it.
So, for the average teenager, that Toyota would have been a pretty expensive and out-of-reach dream!
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Also, isn't it funny how all the defending against the criticism here tries to shift away from Marty? "George is more confident and Lorraine is more open-minded about people, and they passed that on to his kids who now have better jobs*", yeah, except for Marty, of course, who wasn't raised by this more confident George and less judgemental Lorraine. He was raised in the original timeline by the "loser" versions of his parents. The criticism was that the main character does not change at all over the course of the movie, and all he personally had to show for it was unexpected material gain.
Now, in hindsight this works well for the trilogy as one big story, because it means that in the sequels Marty still has the feelings of inadequacy that were passed on to him by the parents that raised him, now manifested as the "chicken" bit, and he still had to overcome them, leading to the character growth by the end of Part III. But when the first movie was still a stand-alone - which was intended as a stand-alone - the main character's reward for his adventure was manifested in getting his dream car.
*Dave and Linda may have better jobs in the new reality, but they still appear to be pretty judgemental and condescending towards Marty, as well as to each other.
Now, in hindsight this works well for the trilogy as one big story, because it means that in the sequels Marty still has the feelings of inadequacy that were passed on to him by the parents that raised him, now manifested as the "chicken" bit, and he still had to overcome them, leading to the character growth by the end of Part III. But when the first movie was still a stand-alone - which was intended as a stand-alone - the main character's reward for his adventure was manifested in getting his dream car.
*Dave and Linda may have better jobs in the new reality, but they still appear to be pretty judgemental and condescending towards Marty, as well as to each other.
This is an interesting point. He was raised since birth by the family of "losers". So his personality cannot be identical to that of Marty-B. Now, I imagine he will be happy for the new family and the new car, but is this enough to completely change the person you have been since birth?
Also, if we are to take for granted that this new version of the family is more caring and supportive than the previous one, they will notice that the character of the Marty who took their son's place has changed. And when they try to talk to him and find out why, what will Marty do? He certainly cannot talk about flying DeLoreans.
I enjoy taking a “critical analysis view” of movies and novels on many occasions but I carve out exemptions for some favourites—BTTF is one of them. So are Trek and Bond and a few others.I think I'll stop clicking on this thread and wait 'til the next BTTF thread comes around. This one is no fun.
I kind of wish they'd brought up the demo tape back up, either at the end of Part I or Part III, with Marty deciding to send it out after all.
Here's a fun thought...if we try to apply multiverse theory to BTTF (I know, that's a fraught concept...), then we have to ask ourselves what happened to the Marty in the timeline he ends up in, since the Marty native to that timeline is nowhere to be found. At least there's evidence that he existed (no "Who are you and what are you doing in our house? Yes, we had a kid named Marty; he died when he was six!"), but if we assume the Marty in this timeline also knew the Doc in this timeline, then did he also time travel? Just imagine the horror if he ended up in our Marty's original timeline!
We see Rich Marty in BTTF 1, since Normal Marty returns a few minutes early to keep Doc from getting shot and arrives at the mall just as Rich Marty goes back in time.
And a happier family. The approval from his parents at the end means far more.
I can't emphasize enough: When Jennifer asks him if he's alright at the end he doesn't look at the car. He looks at his parents.
You mean their approval of his girlfriend. There's no sign his parents from the original timeline disapproved of himself or his choices aside from Jennifer. In fact, George didn't even disapprove of her, it was only Lorraine who voiced disapproval.
And still, Marty has not changed at all over the course of the movie, there was no life lesson learned through his experiences. And they could easily have done something, the mentioned demo tape, that could have easily tied in to his performance with Marvin Berry and the Starlighters.
And still, Marty has not changed at all over the course of the movie, there was no life lesson learned through his experiences. And they could easily have done something, the mentioned demo tape, that could have easily tied in to his performance with Marvin Berry and the Starlighters.
He did in the book.
If we go by that theory, the odds were astronomically against the Marty we know ever even existing.
Fortunately, the Durable Timeline ensured that he did.
Indeed and there is a satisfaction that his dad and mom are satisfied with life and their son. There is a completely different tone to how they look at each other.
It's beautiful.
For all the "eat the rich" types in this thread, I'll just put this out there....
Obviously the McFly home has to look different in the new timeline vs. the old one. Otherwise viewers would be scratching their heads wondering why Marty (apparently) didn't make a difference.
Isn't this the easiest way to do that?
Obviously the McFly home has to look different in the new timeline vs. the old one. Otherwise viewers would be scratching their heads wondering why Marty (apparently) didn't make a difference.
Isn't this the easiest way to do that?
