You know what they say: Sometimes, it takes a Twitter discussion between two of the coolest
dudes in Hollywood to draw a long-retired screenwriter out of hiding to close a plot
hole in his beloved, 35-year-old movie. Okay, so people might not have said that before,
but now, they have a reason to.
Following a social media exchange between Guardians of the Galaxy writer-director James
Gunn and his star Chris Pratt, Back to the Future screenwriter Bob Gale emerged out of
the ether to resolve the decades-old plot hole. After Marty McFly went back in time
to meddle in the lives of his parents Lorraine and George, assuming the fake name "Calvin
Klein," how did the pair fail to recognize that their child grew up to be the very guy
who saved their relationship?
It all began when Gunn chimed in on the hashtag FivePerfectMovies to offer some well-informed
musings on what constitutes a flawless film. He wrote,
"For me, a perfect film can be different from a favorite film, or a great film. A perfect
film is something that sings from start to finish with no obvious mistakes, whether they
be aesthetic or structural. There are no logical lapses."
Gunn went on to lovingly needle a few flicks that are favorites of his but that also are
guilty of some of the transgressions he mentioned. Then, he got around to Back to the Future,
to which he gave a pass, writing,
"Back to the Future SEEMINGLY could be imperfect (why don't Mom and Dad remember Marty?), but
I would still argue it's a perfect film because there are reasons why this could conceivably
be the case (time protects itself from unraveling, etc). Or maybe I'm in denial. Who knows."
Pratt then jumped in with his own commentary, tweeting,
"Maybe they do remember him [though], not as Marty, as Calvin. When Marty returns to
present day 1985, it could have been years since his parents would have perhaps originally
noted the uncanny resemblance between their son and that kid from high school 20 years
previous."
One fan hilariously replied to this with, quote, "Star-Lord just saved Back to the Future."
As it turns out, Pratt indeed wins the prize. Catching wind of the debate, Gale decided
to settle it once and for all, explaining his position to The Hollywood Reporter. Gale
said,
"Bear in mind that George and Lorraine only knew Marty/Calvin for eight days when they
were 17, and they did not even see him every one of those eight days. I would ask anyone
to think back on their own high school days and ask themselves how well they remember
a kid who might have been at their school for even a semester. Or someone you went out
with just one time. If you had no photo reference, after 25 years, you'd probably have just a
hazy recollection."
Gale went on to close the book on the debate for good, saying,
"So Lorraine and George might think it funny that they once actually met someone named
Calvin Klein, and even if they thought their son at age 16 or 17 had some resemblance to
him, it wouldn't be a big deal. I'd bet most of us could look [through] our high school
yearbooks and find photos of our teen-aged classmates that bear some resemblance to our
children."
If there's anyone whose explanation about anything having to do with Back to the Future
should be taken as gospel, it's Gale. He wrote all three installments of the beloved film
series, created the short-lived animated TV series based on the films, and even served
as a story consultant on the Telltale video game series Back to the Future: The Game.
Interestingly, Chris Pratt has appeared in another time travel movie that was supposedly
full of holes, a tiny little production called Avengers: Endgame. In that movie, Scott Lang
listens with a look of utter confusion on his face as Bruce Banner explains the rules
of time travel.
"If you travel to the past, that past becomes your future, and your former present becomes
the past, which can't now be changed by your new future."
Banner dropping this knowledge does a number on Lang, who is forced to rethink the most
famous time travel movie of all time...
"So, Back to the Future is a bunch of bulls---?"
Now that Gale has emerged to clarify a few details about his action-comedy masterpiece,
we're waiting for him to weigh in on Lang's assessment. The ball's in your court, Bob!
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite
movies and TV shows are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so
you don't miss a single one.