A presence that loomed large over the pop culture landscape in the 1980's and well into the 90's, it's hard not to have some type of affiliation for beloved actor Michael J. Fox, whose diminutive stature never held him back from becoming one of the biggest celebrity icons of all time.
For me, my childhood was surrounded by re-runs and re-winds of the Back to the Future series, while I can barely recall a moment browsing the TV that didn't involve a snippet of either Family Ties or Spin City but these key films and shows masked something much deeper for Fox as he hid and battled a debilitating Parkinson's diagnosis that has defined his life as the self professed optimist battles the incurable disease he has now been fighting for the past 30 plus years.
Teaming up with Oscar winning documentarian Davis Guggenheim, Still is far from a typical expose of someone's life and career and refuses to dwell on the emotional toll of Fox's battle against such an horrific and all encompassing health battle as we are here gifted the Fox story as told by the man himself, who here gets to dictate how much we get to delve into his various ups and downs, often told with imaginative use of old film/TV footage and also honest and raw voiceovers and conversations with the key subject himself.
It's a wild ride journeying back to the late 70's and early 80's where a boyish teenager from Canada moved to Hollywood determined to crack the industry seemingly against the odds, only to find himself the center of both the biggest TV show at the time and a movie franchise that changed the scene forever and throughout our look back at the making of the man the public knows of today, Fox remains an engaging and likeable storyteller who you can't help but root for.
Whether it's humour in the face of adversity many would crumble at or his mindset to find an appreciation for what Parkinson's has done for him, not what its taken away from him, Fox uses his chance to gift Still to the world as an opportunity to ensure the narrative around him is clear as he faces the impending prospect of no longer being able to express himself or his tale the way in which he would like and while at times you wish Guggenheim would push harder into certain topics or moments in Fox's career, Still is without doubt a quintessential piece of the Fox puzzle and a must for anyone that has been a part of Fox's rise to fame over the last forty years.
Final Say -
A unique documentary that explores an equally unique and eminently likeable subject matter, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie is a documentary about an unforgettable man told by the man in question and should be required viewing for anyone that has enjoyed his work over the past few decades.
3 1/2 lunchboxes out of 5
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)
For me, my childhood was surrounded by re-runs and re-winds of the Back to the Future series, while I can barely recall a moment browsing the TV that didn't involve a snippet of either Family Ties or Spin City but these key films and shows masked something much deeper for Fox as he hid and battled a debilitating Parkinson's diagnosis that has defined his life as the self professed optimist battles the incurable disease he has now been fighting for the past 30 plus years.
Teaming up with Oscar winning documentarian Davis Guggenheim, Still is far from a typical expose of someone's life and career and refuses to dwell on the emotional toll of Fox's battle against such an horrific and all encompassing health battle as we are here gifted the Fox story as told by the man himself, who here gets to dictate how much we get to delve into his various ups and downs, often told with imaginative use of old film/TV footage and also honest and raw voiceovers and conversations with the key subject himself.
It's a wild ride journeying back to the late 70's and early 80's where a boyish teenager from Canada moved to Hollywood determined to crack the industry seemingly against the odds, only to find himself the center of both the biggest TV show at the time and a movie franchise that changed the scene forever and throughout our look back at the making of the man the public knows of today, Fox remains an engaging and likeable storyteller who you can't help but root for.
Whether it's humour in the face of adversity many would crumble at or his mindset to find an appreciation for what Parkinson's has done for him, not what its taken away from him, Fox uses his chance to gift Still to the world as an opportunity to ensure the narrative around him is clear as he faces the impending prospect of no longer being able to express himself or his tale the way in which he would like and while at times you wish Guggenheim would push harder into certain topics or moments in Fox's career, Still is without doubt a quintessential piece of the Fox puzzle and a must for anyone that has been a part of Fox's rise to fame over the last forty years.
Final Say -
A unique documentary that explores an equally unique and eminently likeable subject matter, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie is a documentary about an unforgettable man told by the man in question and should be required viewing for anyone that has enjoyed his work over the past few decades.
3 1/2 lunchboxes out of 5
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)