Michael J. Fox was one of the prototypical 1980s stars of American cinema. This was in large part thanks to Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future and its subsequent films, but also because of various other roles in film and television. He gained significant attention for his central role in the television sitcom Family Ties which lasted from 1982 to 1989. In the early 1990s, Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, though he didn’t disclose it to the public until 1998. He slowly took on fewer and less central roles throughout this time period. Many of his late 1990s and early 2000s roles were in mere vocal performances, which is less strenuous. He excelled in the field but has since made small returns to acting in film and television. He is well-known today for his advocacy in that regard. He has used his platform as a popular actor to call for research in the field of Parkinson’s. Before the great Muhammad Ali passed away in 2016, the two would often appear together to continue to bring light to the affliction which they both experienced. He is an admirable figure with regards to his work but also his public persona at large. Here are the ten best films of his career.
Back to the Future (1985)
The original Back to the Future was a pretty significant cultural moment. It has been parodied and referenced innumerable times in the decades since its release. Fox plays the central character, Marty McFly. He’s a typical high schooler — except that he is close friends with an eccentric scientist named Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). While testing out Doc’s latest invention, a DeLorean which can travel through time, the duo are attacked by a group of terrorists. Marty is forced to flee and winds up activating the time machine, sending him to 1955. He and a younger Doc Brown must find a way to send him back to the present. It is a quintessential film of the 1980s.
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
In the follow-up to Back to the Future, Doc Brown comes from the future (the year 2015) to ask Marty in the present-day (1985) to briefly come to the future with him. It concerns Marty and his girlfriend Jennifer (Elizabeth Shue)’s children. Marty agrees, but it only complicates the fragile timeline of events in Marty’s and his family’s lives. While not quite as good as its predecessor, the film made nearly as much as the first at the box office — more than $300 million.
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
The third and final installment of the Back to the Future trilogy finds Doc Brown trapped in 1885 without a way back to the present. Marty must find a way to both reach Doc and return both of them to their current century. Back to the Future Part III is a satisfying — albeit flawed — conclusion to the franchise.
Teen Wolf (1985)
Along with the Back to the Future films, Teen Wolf cemented Fox as a 1980s icon. In the film, he plays Scott Howard, a high school basketball star. His life is turned upside down when he learns his family has a genetic predisposition toward werewolfism. Though the film wasn’t particularly successful critically, it offers a goofy, campy sort of allegory for puberty and growing up.
Mars Attacks! (1996)
In Tim Burton’s somewhat underrated classic Mars Attacks!, aliens from Mars indeed attack. The film is quite similar to Roland Emmerich’s more successful Independence Day, which was released in the same year. Burton’s film — which is inspired by a trading card series which began in the 1960s — is funnier and sillier than Emmerich’s mostly-serious affair. In Mars Attacks! Fox plays news reporter Jason Stone. The film has a significant cult following today, and rightfully so.
The Secret of My Success (1987)
The Secret of My Success is a sometimes-forgotten film of Fox’s, but it was a gigantic hit at the time. It earned more than $100 million at the box office on a budget of around $15 million. Fox plays Brantley Foster, a recent college graduate. He is hired by a company to fill a mailroom job but finds it surprisingly easy to convince his coworkers that he is an executive. It is an unmistakably 1980s premise with a thoroughly 1980s soundtrack.
The American President (1995)
The American President can be seen by some as a sort of dry-run for Aaron Sorkin and his later television series The West Wing. The film stars Michael Douglas as Andrew Shepherd, the eponymous Commander-in-Chief and Annette Bening as Sydney Wade, an environmental lobbyist with whom he becomes romantic. Fox plays one of Shepherd’s cabinet members, Lewis Rothschild. It is a cannot-miss for any fan of Sorkin’s or of The West Wing.
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is somewhat of a remake of The Incredible Journey, a live-action Disney film from the 1960s. In the remake, Fox lends his voice to the film’s narrator and central character, an American bulldog named Chance. He and his cohorts — a cat named Sassy (Sally Field) and a golden retriever named Shadow (Don Ameche) — fear they’ve been forgotten by their pet-sitter and strike out on their own to find their family. It is a funny but heartfelt affair.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
In the animated Disney picture Atlantis: The Lost Empire, they found the voice of their protagonist in Fox. He plays protagonist Milo Thatch, a linguist/mapmaker intent on finding the lost city of Atlantis. It is a somewhat forgotten entry in Disney’s body of work, which is unfortunate. It is a particularly unique science fiction and blends computer graphics with classic hand-drawn animation.
Stuart Little (1999)
Stuart Little was a family film for which Fox provided the voice of the titular Stuart Little. Stuart is an orphaned anthropomorphic mouse who is adopted into the Little family (Hugh Laurie, Geena Davis, and Jonathan Lipnicki). As a mouse, he struggles to exist in a human world. His new brother tends to pay him no mind and the family cat (voiced by Nathan Lane) frequently antagonizes him. It is a sweet, well-liked film with two generally enjoyable sequels.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
