Oscar Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim had unprecedented access to Michael J. Fox’s life as he put together the story of the actor’s meteoric rise to fame and on-going battle to not to be defeated by Parkinson’s Disease.
Guggenheim and his film team, especially the editor, did a masterful job in constructing this entertaining and enlightening approach to storytelling. Not only did they use intimate interviews with Fox and Fox's own voice to tell much of the story, but they creatively utilized the perfect action sequences from Fox's many TV and film appearances to reenact scenes and events from the actor's life.
I love that “Still” is the title of this documentary. Still--because no matter what the obstacles have been and how hard his fight, Fox is still the likeable, funny, optimistic guy we fell in love with as Alex P. Keaton and Marty McFly. Still--because that is the one thing Fox finds it impossible to be.
After hiding his condition for seven years, not only did Fox go public but he became an outspoken advocate for increased funding for research for Parkinson's.
Open, honest and at times heartbreakingly humorous, Fox tells about it all; his childhood, his teenage trip to Hollywood, his struggles, his breakout successes and his partying excesses. He shares the magical meeting of wife, Tracey Pollan and his utter devotion to his family and theirs to him, which continues to be his guiding light.
A packed house at Park City’s Eccles Theater gave the project a well-deserved and prolonged standing ovation. It was a show of appreciation for an incredible finished product and for Fox's optimistic approach to life and his continued activism.
Throughout this film, even at the darkest most emotional moments, Fox’s phenomenal sense of humor and purposeful optimism remain intact.
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie released on Apple+ May 12. It runs 1 hour and 34 indomitable minutes. This is Barb Bretz with your Friday Film Review. See you at the movies.