It’s time yet again to Social Distance the heck out of this epidemic and watch a movie together while still staying in three different states: North Carolina, Florida, and California. Next up for the Tri-State Watch Party, Back to the Future!
The Netflix Watch Party app ended up being a little complicated, so we just set a time to hit “play” and then chatted through instant messenger. Click the jump to read some highlights from the conversation.
The Players: Elizabeth, Hannah, Kathryn, Nathan, and the parents (Parents represented here by Marian, because Dad would chisel a message in a stone tablet before typing anything on a phone.)
Hannah
All set here
Elizabeth
One sec!
Nathan
Ready when y’all are.
Elizabeth
Ready!
Hannah
Hitting play?
Nathan Elizabeth
Yep!
Hannah
This is one of the first movies I watched relentlessly. Looooved me some MJF
Elizabeth
Don’t think I’d seen the FBI warning on a Prime video before?
Hannah
yeah that was interesting
Kathryn
I remember seeing this with Justin and Patrick the first time.
Elizabeth
Yes!
Hannah
Did not realize Spielberg produced
Nathan
Directed, too, I believe.
Kathryn
Haha, never noticed the tiny Harold Lloyd hanging from the clock face,
Nathan
Does anyone know what time it is? 😄
Hannah
Wait, Spielberg didn’t direct this, did he?
I feel like I would have remembered that
Nathan
We’ll find out I a sec!
Hannah
Very Brazil Rube Goldberg breakfast routine
Nathan
I stand corrected!
Kathryn
Or Wallace and Gromit
Elizabeth
There’s our boy
Hannah
So handsome
Zemeckis directed MiB too, right?
Kathryn
Ah, the soundtrack of my childhood
Hannah
LOVE THIS SONG
I wonder if 1646 is significant. Time travel science year?
Nathan
No, but he did direct What Lies Beneath.
Hannah
Ooh damn
Nathan
There’s Huey Lewis himself!
Elizabeth
Too close TOO CLOSE
Hannah
social distance SOCIAL DISTANCE
HAHA I NEVER KNEW THAT
Kathryn
It’s interesting to watch this and see how neatly they insert all the necessary plot points.
Hannah
The background signs are probably worthy of a book.
Nathan
I wonder how many kids got hurt trying to skateboard behind cars after this movie came out?
Hannah
Heh I remember my buddy Keith tried that with a mail truck. He got yelled out
Nathan
I’ll bet!
Elizabeth
Ugh. Biff.
Hannah
All these actors being aged up, which I never noticed at the time
DIET PEPSI PLACEMENT
Hahaha poor uncle Joey
Three different alcohols been product placed
Nathan
And two Pepsi products.
Elizabeth
The Nerd Car of all Nerd Cars.
Hannah
He was in Taxi, too, right?
Nathan
Yep! Played Reverend Jim.
Hannah
A whole generation of people know DeLorean and Christopher Lloyd because of this movie
Elizabeth
Hahahah I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve seen this that was awesome!
Hannah
Just joyous
He and Geraldine Page should’ve played siblings
Kathryn
Heh, the birth of Christ date.
Elizabeth
My friend Natasha went to a Comic-Con panel that was teaching people how to sew LED’s into clothing, they all made a little Flux Capacitor.
Nathan
😄
Kathryn
There are so MANY things to be terrified of in that plot to get plutonium
Nathan
And he probably just exposed them both to a lethal amount of radiation there.
Hannah
Libyan nationalists. I always thought they were Russian
Kathryn
Again, giving the viewer everything they need to know.
Hannah
Worrying bit of brown face here…
Kathryn
If anything could withstand bullets it’s a DeLorean
Hannah
Also I don’t think the Libyans wear that head covering. Pretty sure that’s Saudi…
Nathan
A VW Microbus doing 90? HA!
Hannah
Haha
Elizabeth
Between the race and the music I can’t stop grinning
Hannah
Such a fun transition
Elizabeth
Nother product placement for Miller High Life
Hannah
Definitely think of this movie when I hear this song
Like what were all these shops when we saw them in 1985. I bet there’s lots of jokes there
Elizabeth
I love that he doesn’t have to say obvious stuff out loud. “That’s the development my parents will live in, hey the clock tower hasn’t been hit yet.”
Hannah
Heh yes
Kathryn
Chief of the jokes being Ronald Reagan being on the movie marquee
Hannah
Yes, I .think. that’s also a joke later
Elizabeth
Ugh, Biff.
Hannah
Heh
Not sure about a black man calling a white man “boy” in 1955…
Elizabeth
I was just thinking that, but at least it’s better than someone calling HIM boy
Hannah
Yeah, exactly, their message is good
EW NO
Elizabeth
Heh, totally forgot the peeping tom part
Also forgot the “another one of these damn kids jumped in front of my car.”
…another?
Hannah
TAKE him to a HOSPITAL
Elizabeth
hahahaha
Hannah
Consent means checking to see if you’re related to someone before you COME ONTO THEM
Elizabeth
Hee hee hee
HA, Uncle Joey in the pen.
Kathryn
“Nobody’s home. …yet.”
Hannah
This movie would pair well with Pleasantville
Kathryn
I haven’t seen that one. Is it worth watching?
Hannah
So far as I remember, definitely
Elizabeth
I love it when someone cosplays as Doc with that hat.
Hannah
There it is
Kathryn
Ah, when having a former actor was the most ridiculous idea for president
Elizabeth
Glossed right over how they got that tape to play
Kathryn
I call BS on being able to plug a modern camera into a 1950’s tv
Elizabeth
Jinx!
Hannah
Heh my thought too
Kathryn
I’d like to have the lamps in this room
And we have a title.
Hannah
The photograph makes SO MUCH DIFFERENCE in the urgency.
Elizabeth
Yes! We had to have something concrete
Kathryn
You have to have a timer
Elizabeth
Heh. His dad was quite the creeper
Hannah
And just a visible representation instead of just philosophically knowing
“Rhythmic ceremonial ritual”
Nathan
I wonder if Crispin Glover was high on LSD during filming like he was on that Letterman episode?
Hannah
I was .just. typing “pretty sure this actor is quite the weirdo, too”
Elizabeth
Wasn’t there some story about them digitally putting him in the next movie instead of paying him?
Hannah
Wait where is this supposed to take place? I thought I saw California plates
Elizabeth
I don’t think they said?
Hannah
(And everyone has East Coast accents)
Elizabeth
Hee, I love this bit, as a kid I was frigging delighted by the Star Wars ref
Hannah
Heh back when Van Halen was hard core
Elizabeth
Star trek
Kathryn
Both
Hannah
Both haha
Kathryn
Probably made Trek and Wars fans heads explode even back then
Hannah
MJF is so chill in front of the camera. Can’t teach that
Apocryphal skateboarding works a lot better here than it does in Hook, STEPHEN
Elizabeth
hahaha
For YEARS I thought this was a John Williams piece
Nathan 😄
Kathryn
LOVE that whole bit with climbing over the car.
Elizabeth
“Please excuse the crudity of this model…”
Lloyd’s appalled expressions are the best
Hannah
I want to watch everything Christopher Lloyd has ever done and just see what he does when he’s not talking
Exactly
THE FRENCH HORN OF SINCERITY
Elizabeth
Another reason I SWORE it was a John Williams score.
Kathryn
With the Flutes of Pathos
Elizabeth
And strings in the stratosphere DAMN YOU SILVESTRI
Hannah
Did… did that say Marion Berry on the kick drum?
Elizabeth
Yes?
Nathan
Yep!
Hannah
Disgraced mayor of DC?
Nathan
No, founder of Motown.
Hannah
Ooooh
Nathan
Marvin Berry.
Hannah
Ah, I misread it as Marion
Nathan
It’ll make sense in a bit.
Hannah
I mean it makes more sense than Marion haha
Elizabeth
Hee
Hannah
Ew
Ew ew ew
Elizabeth
“Believe me, it makes perfect sense.”
Heh, I forgot the band sending the thugs packing
Hannah
Forgot about the hand injury. Pivotal
Elizabeth
Get im George!!
So fun.
Kathryn
Is MJF actually singing this?
Hannah
Nooooo
Kathryn
Heh
Hannah
I can’t imagine that’s him
Elizabeth
Doesn’t really sound like im
Hannah
Nice pan up to show him at least authentically looking like he was playing that intro
Nathan
I totally misremembered this scene!
Hannah
There it is
Nathan
I thought he was Marion Berry’s cousin, not Chuck Berry’s.
Hannah
“A white man invented Motown” would be a… not great thing to take away from this movie, oy
Nathan
True.
Elizabeth
HA I was just thinking that
Hannah
Well intentioned again but…no
Kathryn
Nope. Precursor to stuff they pulled in Forest Gump
Hannah
Oh man, yeah
Nathan
Also a Robert Zemickis film.
Hannah
And La La Land (from what I’ve heard)
Elizabeth
Liittle bit in La La Land I agree
whitesplainin jazz
Hannah
Damn! We’re in a tight spot!
Elizabeth
HA
Nathan 😄
Kathryn
My hair!
Elizabeth
I like how Doc twigged to the fact that the future WAS going to get changed, but he didn’t have to say it.
Hannah
I was just thinking that
Totally missed it as a kid
Elizabeth
Same!
Hannah
SO TENSE
Kathryn
I forgot about this whole extra bit of stress!
Hannah
Good ol hood slide
Elizabeth
Palms sweating!
Hannah
MOM JUST SAID THAT
Stunt drivers having all the fun
Nooooo
Nathan
Another Harold Lloyd reference!
Kathryn
Holy cow, callback to the Harold Lloyd!
Aaaaaaa!
Hannah
YOU’RE FLOODING THE ENGINE
Elizabeth
Tree on the wire!!!
Hannah
0 to 88 in 5 minutes. My caliber did that
Elizabeth
go go go go
Wheeee what a ride
Kathryn
So delightful
Hannah
OMG MICHAEL SHEEN SHOULD PLAY HIM IN THE REMAKE
No mercy for the Universal back lot
Elizabeth
So cool that they established the car wouldn’t always run
Nathan
Just like a real DeLorean! 
Elizabeth
This whole scene blew my mind as a kid, first time I’d ever seen someone play around with time like that.
Kathryn
Yes, this is definitely the first instance of timey-wimey stuff I ever saw
Elizabeth
Love all of that.
Hee, Biff.
Kathryn
Funny, successful George McFly looks more like the Crispen Glover I’m familiar with.
Elizabeth
HA, I forgot about the book.
Hannah
That’s a helluva tome
Kathryn
Iconic!
Elizabeth
Yaaaaaay!!
Hannah
Wonderful
Nathan
I don’t believe I’ve seen that since it was in the theater.
Elizabeth
It’s been at least 10 years for me.
Hannah
Not sure I’ve seen it since the 80s
Elizabeth
Perfect ending
Kathryn
I’d swear we watched this for an end-of-the-year thing in high school
Nathan
Hannah
I get Huey Lewis confused with the drummer from the Eagles
BILLY ZANE WAS IN THIS?
Elizabeth
WHAT
Nathan
I thought the same thing!
I assume he was one of Biff’s henchmen?
Hannah
just saw his name on the list. One of the toughs?
Well that holds up awfully well. Makes me think about how enduring classics aren’t enduring for nostalgia and affection alone
(Looking at you, Neverending Story)
Elizabeth
Exactly!
Hannah
Also the Flixwatcher host always uses BTTF as an example of rewatchability. With all of the plot points so simply but well placed, agree
Plus I’m sure there’s a lot of hidden humor in there
Kathryn
Tons. I need to go read the imdb trivia for this.
Elizabeth
Makes me want to watch the town scenes frame by frame to compare the storefronts
Kathryn
100% positive someone’s done that on a website somewhere
Hannah
I hope there’s a good longform article out there about it
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