STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie – Film Review
Michael J. Fox was at the height of his fame thanks to Back to the Future, Teen Wolf and Family Ties when his world came crashing down and he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The brilliant documentary, STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie, charts the highs and lows in his professional and personal life.
The documentary, directed by Davis Guggenheim, gives a complete account of how Fox, an undersized kid from Canada, became a huge, in-demand star in the ’80s, how he hid his Parkinson’s diagnosis for seven years between 1991 and 1999, and what his life looks like more than 30 years into his health battle. It mixes archival clips, scripted elements and new footage to tell Fox’s extraordinary story in his own words.
Naturally, the documentary uses a lot of clips from Fox’s films and TV shows to chart his career trajectory and his first encounters with his wife Tracy Pollan. It also reveals some of the moments where he tried to hide his tremors while filming, particularly on Spin City, because he wasn’t ready for people to know about his Parkinson’s yet. He became a pro at timing his medication so it would peak during the shoot and his symptoms would be less obvious. However, we are shown a couple of instances when it didn’t quite work – yet nobody seemed to notice at the time.
The clips are also cleverly used to illustrate the narration. For example, if Fox is talking about a car picking him up to take him to work, it will be accompanied by a clip of Fox as Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties doing the same. It works really well and adds a light-hearted, playful tone to the feature.
But the heart of the movie is with the new footage, which shows Fox at home with his wife and their four kids, going to medical appointments and talking about his experience directly to the camera. I have not seen him for years so the physical deterioration was a shock, particularly seeing him walking and working with a physical therapist on his movement. His impaired balance means he often falls over and hurts himself; sometimes even breaking bones.
I fully expected this to be a really sad documentary but it’s not because Fox is so upbeat. You never see him feeling sorry for himself and he’s always cracking jokes and making light of his situation. It’s so admirable how he has remained positive in the face of his struggles.
One of my most common complaints is about films being too long and outstaying their welcome. STILL a rare exception – I wanted it to be longer. When it ended, I felt disappointed because I wanted – and felt like there needed to be – more. I had hoped to see more about his foundation and his decision to retire from acting.
STILL is a moving and inspiring documentary that could have gone on for much longer.
On Apple TV+ from Friday 12th May