Reel Reviews Column: Top Fox movies
By HOLLI L. RAPP
Michael J. Fox’s recent announcement that he has been battling Parkinson’s Disease led me to think about his movie career. Here are what I believe are his top five movies.
#5 – Teen Wolf – 1985: Fox plays Scott Howard, who has a hereditary problem which turns him into a wolf. This transformation upsets his basketball teammates and some of his friends. This movie shows that people shouldn’t have to be someone else to be liked.
#4 – Back to the Future II – 1989: The second Back to the Future has Fox traveling to the future in the Delorian and trying to avoid meeting himself there. Fox does a good job in this sequel and makes the viewer want to watch.
#3 – Back to the Future 1 - 1985: Fox made the original Back to the Future movie when he was working on Family Ties, and he did a very good job for only being in the business three years. This movie introduces Fox and Lloyd as mentee and mentor.
In this film, Lloyd makes his time travel work, sending himself and Fox into the past, where Fox meets his parents and Lloyd has to avoid meeting himself.
This is the #1 of the Back to the Future movies because it introduces the entire plot and theme.
#2 – Doc Hollywood – 1991: Fox plays Doc Benjamin Stone, who is on his way to Hollywood when a cow in the middle of the road sidetracks his trip. He gets stuck in Grady, South Carolina doing community service.
Stone does go on to Hollywood to pursue his dream of being a surgeon, but he realizes Grady is the place he really wants to be….because of a special lady (and a pig). The movie ends with Stone and the lady walking down a Grady street.
Doc Hollywood is an excellent movie.
#1 – Secret of My Success – 1987: Fox plays Brantley Foster aka. Carlton Whitfield who is trying to make it up the corporate ladder at a company owned by a distant relative. He is forced into the mailroom but also takes a "suite" job and tries not to get caught in both jobs.
He almost gets away with his dual roles, but problems with his identity emerge during a company weekend at his distant relative’s house. Naturally, everything works out and he ends up taking over the company.
It is a very funny, interesting movie and deserves a second look.
12/10/98