McCabe Movie Review

HONEST reviews of your fave flicks from the 90's

recent posts

about

  • Back to the Future Part I

    Back to the Future I:  The Perfect Movie?

    I admit, I have been going through a Back to the Future phase.  My husband thinks I am insane (even though he loves the franchise).  I have obsessively watched Parts I and II over and over during the last few weeks.  (III doesn’t count – it just doesn’t!)

    Many have said that this is the perfect movie.  Indeed, classes have been dedicated to studying the screenplay at film schools.  It’s a tight script – no fooling.  There isn’t one scene that is extraneous or not adding to the story.  But is it really?  McCabe Movie Review will answer that!

    BTTF introduces us to a simpler world in 1985 where teenager Marty McFly, played by the excellent actor Michael J. Fox, leads a fun and carefree life with his girlfriend and off-the-wall mentor and friend, Doc Brown.  Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) is a wacky scientist whose inventions can be hit-or-miss.  Marty’s only real problem seems to be his family – his parents and siblings are just complete losers.

    The inciting incident occurs early in the morning of October 26, 1985 when Doc Brown finally has an invention that pays off.  He has built a time machine, in the form of a cool looking Delorean car that can travel back in time!  Unfortunately, before he can enact his plan in the parking lot of the Twin Pine Mall, Doc Brown is shot by terrorists.  While trying to escape, Marty accidentally travels back in time to November 5, 1955 as the Delorean and hits that magical speed of 88 miles per hour.

    Once Marty is transported to 1955, silly time-traveling chaos ensues.  He accidentally rewrites history by getting hit by his mom’s father’s car and becoming the object of her amorous pursuits.  This had originally happened to his dad, and now Marty has accidentally changed the timeline – this threatens his own existence!  How’s that for a conflict to overcome?

    Along with an exciting, interesting conflict that has its audience totally onboard, this movie has heart.  We can all relate to being bullied and pushed around.  And on a darker level, we can all relate to the idea of not existing – terrifying.  We root for Marty and Doc, want him to get back to his life in 1985 and more importantly, to exist. 

    I recently enjoyed following the (true) lore that Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty, but was fired 6 weeks into filming.  6 weeks!  Apparently, he took the script way too seriously, and played the main character with a tragic vibe, missing the hijinx and funny nuance that the directors and writers originally wanted.   They were able to get Michael J. Fox after some painful conversations and letting Stoltz go.  But Eric Stotlz pointed out in the first table read the tragedy of Marty McFly:  he will now live in a 1985 that he has never known – while his parents and siblings might be “successful” and “rich” now, Marty will have to exist in a world not meant for him, not something he has ever been a part of.  But at least he gets a cool truck!

    This movie has great pacing, a catchy soundtrack by Huey Lewis and no scene feels unnecessary and moves the plot forward.  Most of all, it’s just fun.  The endless gags of 1985 Marty being in 1955 just don’t stop.  The writers played with “what if someone from 1985 was transported back into 1955?” When Marty has dinner with his teenage mom Lorraine’s family (his grandparents!) they are excited about watching Jackie Gleason on TV.  When Marty mentions he’s already seen this one and that it’s a rerun, he has met with blank stares and asked what a rerun is.  When he asks for a drink at a local diner there is all kinds of back and forth about “Tab”, “Pepsi Free” etc. and it never really ends.  Instead of the tragedy that Stolz was focused on, the movie is light, preferring to play off the lightness of the jokes and focusing less on the darkness. 

    So yes, this is the perfect movie.  I could watch it over and over again, and do, while parenting a toddler.  My daughter likes it too!  Though 1985 was 40 years ago (!) life seemed easier and simpler then.  And everything is just freaking cool.  Now that we are living in a world that loves 80’s nostalgia, a Delorean, a skateboard and a video camera are all vintage items that are fun to watch.  And Michael J. Fox literally skips, hops and slides through each scene, effortlessly keeping the pace of the movie with his energetic bounciness.    Marty, who doesn’t seem to be science-oriented or have much ambition in the beginning besides being a rockstar (this is pretty normal for any 80’s teen IMO) quickly becomes very driven to get back to his old life and displays heroic feats to do so.  Doc Brown, never motivated by money or fame, embraces the study of the human condition with his invention. 

    I’ll leave this review by saying I’m glad Michael J. Fox got to do this franchise before Parkinson’s cruelly eventually took his film and TV career.  At the time of filming this, he was also juggling a full-time role on Family Ties, shuttling back and forth with just a couple hours’ sleep each night.   He sure packed it in while he could.  Now he is an icon in another space, being the face of the Michael J. Fox Foundation and raising millions for others facing this condition.   What a guy.

    Best time travel movie.  Stay tuned for my review of Part II!

    5/5 stars

  • Point Break (1991)

    As I continue my Keanu film festival, I’d like to review the 1991 absolute gem Point Break.

    2 years after Parenthood, Keanu Reeves has hit the gym, cut his hair, and is starring in an action pic.  I’ll take it.  This movie, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, is my all-time favorite action film (BY FAR) and after this review you will know why.

    Keanu Reeves stars as Johnny Utah (not a joke), a rookie FBI agent who gets assigned to a grizzled and jaded older cop, Pappas (Gary Busey) at a police bureau in LA.  Predictably, his new boss and coworkers give him a lot of shit.  He’s going to have to prove himself in this new environment.  But he’s Johnny Utah, and he can do anything, even when assigned to investigate a series of bank robberies by a mysterious masked group of unruly robbers. 

    Pappas thinks they might be surfers.  Johnny finds himself going undercover, learning to surf, and oh, befriending a cute girl, Tyler,  who is very talented at shredding in the water.  Oh, and her ex-boyfriend is surf clan leader Bodhi (played by a sun bleached Patrick Swayze!)

    Lori Petty as surf babe Tyler is PERFECTLY cast in this film, even though she apparently lied about her surfing ability to get the role.  It so wasn’t an issue.  It’s no surprise that this movie doesn’t pass the Bechtel test.  (The Bechtel test requires a film have at least two named female characters who have a conversation about something other than a man.  Nope, not this movie).  Still, even though she’s the only woman in this film I still love it. 

    As Johnny is brought into the fold of Bodhi’s surf clan, with a lot of hazing (man, this poor guy gets hazed a LOT in this film!) he manages to prove himself AGAIN to the surf dudes just as he does the FBI agents.  Joining multiple brotherhoods, Johnny just can’t be stopped!  Bodhi, both menacing, jovial, manipulative and mysterious, believes that selling out and having is regular 9 to 5 jobs is akin to living in a coffin. 

    I won’t reveal what happens next to avoid spoilers.  Just that this film is a lot of fun.  Delightful chase scenes through the backyards of Venice Beach shot by a camera operator running on foot right behind them make you feel like you’re really there.  Beautifully shot ocean surf sequences in slow-mo set against wailing electric guitars.  It’s too bad they are in wetsuits a lot of the time, but there’s some nice eye candy here and there once they peel off the wet skins.   And did I mention there’s even skydiving and Patrick Swayze does all his own stunts!  And fight scenes, so many fight scenes that actually aren’t boring – one in which Keanu’s face almost gets chopped up by a lawnmower!  What a relief that that beautiful face gets away unscathed, save for a few scratches!  Keanu holds his own against type as Johnny, paving the way for an action movie future.  Would there be a Matrix without a Point Break?  I think not.

    5 out of 5 stars

  • Parenthood (1989)

    Parenthood, an absolute masterpiece from 1989, still holds up in 2025.  If you like Steve Martin in his prime (aka neurotic dad-mode – see also:  Father of the Bride I and II) you are in for a delicious treat.

    Parenthood is about 4 adult siblings and how they navigate the chaos of work, children, spouses, ex-spouses, and Life 101.  Martin plays Gil, a middle-aged dad who is just barely hanging on. 

    The film opens with Martin’s character attempting to wrangle his 3 children and his wife into a minivan after a baseball game.  The sheer effort of making it through the parking lot, into the car, and with all the swag is Herculean.  To top it off, the children are singing the “diarrhea” song throughout (IYKYK).

    It is beyond me how they got this ensemble together, many on the brink or in the middle of HUGE careers.  He is married to his lovely wife (Mary Steenburgen, pre Back-to-the-Future III) who, as a stay-at-home mom, is exasperated at Gil’s inability to just relax and accept the fact that his son who may or may not need therapy while simultaneously trying to appease a nitwit boss who wants Gil to “dazzle” him.

    Dianne Weist plays his sister, who is in a delightfully typecast role, is a single mother of two teenagers with an absentee ex-husband.  Can anyone say Lost Boys?  Dianne Weist, who earned an Academy Award nomination for this role, is amazing in this.  The friction with her daughter Julie (Martha Plimpton) is electric and explosive and the acting between their scenes just seems so relatable and real and true.  And how on earth did they get a pre- Point Break Keanu for Julie’s boyfriend?  As “That Tod” he is a thorn in any teenage parent’s side and dreamy to any teenage daughter at the same time. And don’t forget a pubescent Joaquin Phoenix as her son Gary, who masters being uncomfortable and vulnerable in a few really poignant scenes.  And they even got Rick Moranis!

    This is a very, very relatable comedy.  As a parent myself of a beautiful 1-year old, I can feel the stress, frustration, joy, euphoria, and despair all at once.  Who knew that a kid catching a fly ball in a baseball scene would make or break a man’s year – no, life?

    This film brought out bigger laughs, and more tears than it ever had before.  Every grimace, scowl, and feeling of helplessness that Steve Martin’s character brings sharp delight and joy (not unlike his character in Father of the Bride – please, why can’t I have 90’s Steve Martin dad in an IV dip on my arm for when I need it?). I loved this film as a child, and love it even more now. 

    An astute grandma at the end of the film likens parenthood to choosing the roller coaster over the merry-go-round.  You could choose the merry-go-round, but why?  It just goes around and around.  Why not pick the roller coaster, which has the fear, terror, panic, anxiety, and euphoria too?

    Yes, that’s just it.