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Back to the Future Part II poster

Back to the Future Part II

year 1989decade 80sdirector Robert Zemeckisgenre Science fictiongenre Fantasy

108 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Michael J. Fox Marty McFly / Marty McFly Junior / Marlene McFly
Christopher Lloyd Doctor Emmett Brown
Lea Thompson Lorraine
Thomas F. Wilson Biff Tannen / Griff
James Tolkan Strickland
Jeffrey Weissman George McFly
Billy Zane Match
J. J. Cohen Skinhead
Harry Waters, Jr. Marvin Berry
Joe Flaherty Western Union man
Flea Needles
Elisabeth Shue Jennifer
E. Casanova Evans Michael Jackson
Jay Koch Ronald Reagan
Charles Gherardi Ayatollah Khomeini
Elijah Wood Video game boy
John Thornton Video game boy
Theo Schwartz Hoverboard girl
Lindsey Barry Hoverboard girl
Judy Ovitz Antique store saleswoman
Stephanie E. Williams Officer Foley
Marty Levy Cab driver
James Ishida Fujitsu
Nikki Birdsong Loretta
Al White Dad
Shaun Hunter Harold
Neil Ross Museum narrator
Tamara Carrera Jacuzzi girl
Tracy D'Aldia Jacuzzi girl
John Erwin Radio sportscaster
Wesley Mann CPR kid
Crispin Glover George McFly in footage from Back to the Future

Back to the Future Part II | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Cousin Salproducer Craig Horlbeck
Explore episodeClose episode

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Concealing almanac winnings, memorizing bets, absent jet lag and Doc’s relationship with Marty.

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:08:49Read transcript
  • How many losing bets would conceal use of the almanac? Roughly 70–75 percent success is suggested, while selective large bets might explain Biff's fortune.
  • A 1950s bettor has few legal venues, and repeated wins could attract murderous mob attention despite weaker surveillance than modern sportsbooks.
  • Marty could memorize one or a few profitable results before burning the almanac.
  • Why does time travel cause no jet lag or prolonged exhaustion? Marty's chicken trigger and almanac handling are recalled as already covered.
  • Doc's lack of age-peer friends and constant companionship with a teenager seem suspicious through a modern lens. A sexuality question is answered by his Part III romance with Clara.

Picking Nits

The almanac’s size and butterfly effect; inconsistent time-travel rules; Marty’s chicken trigger; Jennifer’s treatment.

In the discussion (24)
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:40Read transcript
  • Fifty years of results seem impossible to fit into the thin almanac; a larger book would not work as a pocket-sized plot object.
  • Fox and Elisabeth Shue look too old for teenage roles; advancing Marty to college or young adulthood would help.
  • Biff's precise memory of receiving the almanac and Marty's childhood knowledge of the manure crash seem implausible.
  • Marty's casual rooftop drop onto the hovering DeLorean requires extraordinary nerve and coordination.
  • Doc risks a close encounter with his earlier self despite his strict warnings about others meeting themselves.
  • Marty's newly central chicken sensitivity feels invented; loser or a short joke would be a more credible trigger.
  • Doc condemns knowing one's destiny despite surviving because he read Marty's letter and wore a bulletproof vest.
  • A local robbery should not lead USA Today's front page, even if its real-time updating is appealing.
  • Marty could identify himself by fingerprints as Jennifer's husband and retrieve her rather than breaking into the house.
  • Western Union preserving and delivering the letter after seventy years is implausibly reliable.
  • Biff's growing power should change sporting outcomes and invalidate the almanac, perhaps after his first win.
  • Biff's national celebrity sits oddly with building his casino only in his hometown.
  • The second manure humiliation might make young Biff violently retaliate rather than leave a repaired timeline.
  • Old Biff returns to the same future after changing the past, conflicting with alternate-timeline rules; the fact that young Biff has not yet bet is offered as a possible defense.
  • The World Series is implausibly finished by October 20.
  • Doc and Marty could address present problems directly, or use their extraordinary invention to prevent major historical tragedies rather than fix their own family.
  • Jennifer is unnecessarily brought along, sedated and abandoned; an early exit from the malfunctioning car could remove her more cleanly.
  • Doc leaves the time-machine keys in the car.
  • Leaving Einstein in suspended animation seems cruel and wastes a potential canine contribution; returning him home would be simple.
  • The Libyans from the first movie disappear from the story.
  • Biff foolishly exposes the almanac in his winning-race photograph.
  • Biff's casino residence is too dark and ordinary for his enormous wealth.
  • Why would Griff need clumsy Marty Jr. for the robbery? Using him as the fall guy resolves the objection.
  • Marty absorbs punishing blows from Biff while hanging beside the car without being incapacitated.

Top Five List

Limitless pill ranked first by one host; Grail, DeLorean, hoverboard, glasses and other objects proposed.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:13:43Read transcript
  • For movie objects to steal, the Holy Grail offers healing but its boundary rule limits eternal life; Moneyball's algorithm is nominated to prevent advanced statistics from taking over baseball.
  • They Live glasses, Raiders artifacts and the mysterious Pulp Fiction briefcase are considered. The DeLorean outranks the almanac for one host; the hoverboard is another option, with maintenance and safety objections.
  • The Limitless pill is one host's number one because enhanced intelligence could also win bets, despite the need to manufacture more and dependency risks.
  • The When Harry Met Sally orgasm-scene salad is a wild-card joke choice; no shared final five or settled ranking emerges.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Alternate story concepts, visual effects, Glover’s lawsuit and the film’s props.

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:53Read transcript
  • An early sequel concept used 1967 and protesters, rejected partly because George and Lorraine were too old for the hippie roles.
  • Bob Gale reportedly based the wealthy 1985 Biff on Donald Trump.
  • ILM's compositing let Michael J. Fox appear as three characters within a scene more easily than older techniques.
  • A $40 million budget and $332 million gross are cited, ranking third for 1989.
  • Glover's lawsuit led to likeness provisions in the Screen Actors Guild agreement.
  • The Cafe 80s Wild Gunman game was made for the film; the Oh LàLà cover used a 1955 Swank photograph of Venetia Stevenson.
  • Lea Thompson kept the breast prosthetic; the rejuvenation-clinic explanation spared Lloyd heavier old-age makeup.
  • The film is described as MCA Universal Home Video's first videocassette release, followed by recollection of expensive early tapes.
  • Antique-store objects include Jaws 2 and Animal House tapes, Roger Rabbit, Perrier, a Bee Gees album, Pac-Man lunchbox, Carter peanut bank, radio and video-game packaging.

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:51Read transcript
  • Ebert awarded three stars.
  • Ebert found the timeline explanations baffling but the film fun for its sheer goofiness.

Most Rewatchable Scene

1955 almanac retrieval and chase; Cafe 80s; future McFly dinner.

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:35:41Read transcript
  • The opening remake of the original ending is rejected after a clarification distinguishes it from the final half-hour.
  • Marty's future shoes, Hill Valley, Cafe 80s and hoverboard chase form a strong opening stretch, especially the cafe's celebrity waiters and failed distraction of Griff.
  • Marty buys the almanac and Doc rejects using time travel for financial gain.
  • Marty returns to the corrupted 1985 and encounters Biff's casino empire.
  • Marty confronts Biff about the almanac; this wealthy Biff is praised as perhaps the best incarnation.
  • Old Biff demonstrates the almanac to young Biff with the UCLA score.
  • The two Docs' brief weather conversation is especially fun.
  • Two hosts choose the extended 1955 almanac retrieval, dance recreation and car chase, praising familiar scenes restaged from new viewpoints.
  • Another host prefers Cafe 80s and adds the failed future McFly family dinner, including the descending fruit tray and Fox's multiple roles.

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Tom Wilson as Griff; Lea Thompson’s Lorraine is runner-up.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:41:31Read transcript
  • The elderly 2015 Biff is flagged in advance as the obvious overacting contender.
  • Griff is the clear main choice, with Tom Wilson given excessive latitude and the character judged irritating rather than enjoyably villainous.
  • Lorraine in the casino is the runner-up, compared with Sharon Stone's hysteria in Casino.

What’s Aged the Best?

Future predictions, Silvestri’s score, Nike shoes, Jaws 19 and the jokes.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:49:45Read transcript
  • The successful future predictions and Spielberg's presenting credit.
  • Alan Silvestri's score, also remembered from the Universal tour.
  • The lack of chemistry or purpose for Jennifer is perversely funny: she is quickly tranquilized, and Zemeckis regretted putting her in the car.
  • A comic approach to the future and the Nike shoe concept's eventual commercial influence.
  • The Jaws 19 trailer's absurd premise and Max Spielberg credit.
  • Fox looked better in real 2015 than the film's aged Marty; the future jokes and the insult slacker still work.

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

Hoverboard tracking shots; the approaching tunnel during the car chase.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:53Read transcript
  • The hoverboard chase, especially tracking behind the board, impresses for its practical harness work.
  • The approaching tunnel while Marty hangs onto the car is an effective danger image, also suggested for Aged Best.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Exposition-heavy Marty, the premise, older teenage actors, Pepsi, Fox as his daughter and the Part III trailer.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:57:31Read transcript
  • The formerly groundbreaking multiple-role compositing no longer seems remarkable.
  • Marty becomes a nerdy assistant to exposition rather than the original's rebellious rocker, echoing a Jonathan Rosenbaum review.
  • The premise could be solved with therapy for Marty's chicken-triggered insecurity and keeping his family away from the Tannens.
  • Fox and Shue are too old for teenagers; the film also contains too much Pepsi.
  • Fox playing his daughter is strange and unnecessary; Justine Bateman would have made a funnier casting joke.
  • Miami in the American League and the Part III trailer ending.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Real hoverboards and Slamball; Marty is Biff’s son; Lloyd alone carries the acting.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:04:28Read transcript
  • Real hoverboards should be released to lure young people away from screens, despite safety objections and existing wheeled devices using the name.
  • Marty could be Biff's son, sharing his temper rather than George's timidity; this would make a better Part III twist than the Western.
  • The unrealized anti-gravity Slamball concept combining jai alai, handball and roller derby should become a real sport.
  • Craig says Christopher Lloyd is the only good actor in the movie and carries it; the others agree Fox and Thompson are less effective here than in the original. — Craig Horlbeck

Apex Mountain

Sports almanacs; Tom Wilson; Jeffrey Weissman; Oh LàLà magazine; D. Jones Manure Hauling; hoverboards.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:06Read transcript
  • Fox, Thompson, Shue, Beat It and Zemeckis are rejected. Sports almanacs receive an unequivocal yes.
  • Mr. Sandman loses to Halloween II; time-travel movies lose to the original Back to the Future.
  • Tom Wilson is affirmed for his multiple roles, with no later rival identified.
  • The fictional 2015 loses to the actual year's Fox-Lloyd reunion for Sal.
  • Jeffrey Weissman, Oh LàLà magazine, D. Jones Manure Hauling and hoverboards are affirmed.
  • Sports-gambling movies receive an initial yes, then debate includes The Gambler, Two for the Money, The Hustler, Rounders, Focus and Uncut Gems without a settled conclusion.

Cruise or Hanks?

Hanks.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:58Read transcript
  • Hanks wins for Marty because Cruise is considered too intense; one host argues the young Cruise would be perfect, but the Big-era Hanks comparison prevails.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

A new teenage Marty with Bill Hader as Doc; Goldie Wilson spinoff.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:31:15Read transcript
  • A new version could revisit 1985 or the grunge era; Tom Holland with Bill Hader is proposed, then an unknown actual teenager is preferred for Marty while Hader remains the Doc choice.
  • A Goldie Wilson spinoff fighting Biff's gambling policy is floated; a modern remake might face moral criticism for fixing family problems instead of national tragedies.

Just One Oscar

Score; visual effects; Tom Wilson for supporting actor.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:57Read transcript
  • The score, visual effects and Tom Wilson's supporting performance are nominated; the actual effects and supporting-actor competition was strong.

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

Hoverboard, Nike Mags, heated jacket or sports almanac.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:36:35Read transcript
  • Original hoverboard, Nike Mags, self-heating jacket and sports almanac; the DeLorean is excluded. Shoes appeal for resale value, while almanac auction prices are cited around $45,000–50,000.

More from the conversation

Ringer Movies video promotion precedes the introduction of Chris Ryan and Cousin Sal; football's approaching return and a bad C.J. Stroud take are discussed.
Approx. transcript time · 00:00:00Read transcript
The sequel's multiple time periods make a complicated pitch, but the hosts find it delightful and underrated on rewatch.
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:13Read transcript
Sal recalls the 2015 Jimmy Kimmel reunion with Fox and Lloyd, running lines with them, and brings a replica sports almanac.
Approx. transcript time · 00:04:28Read transcript
Sal fears nitpicking a favorite; a Rudy Tomjanovich knockout category is jokingly proposed.
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:30Read transcript
The movie's alternate timelines prompt a multiverse question, Carl Sagan's praise of its time-travel ethics and Tarantino's admiration for the original.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:11Read transcript
The almanac poses a gambling dilemma: guaranteed winning removes uncertainty, but winnings could fund bets on unlisted events.
Approx. transcript time · 00:07:00Read transcript
Sharing the book could lead to exclusion from casinos and spoil sports once results are known; Sal recalls doing poorly despite having exam answers.
Approx. transcript time · 00:09:16Read transcript
Biff surprisingly waits until age twenty-one before using the almanac to win at the races.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:02Read transcript
Keeping the almanac secret and its effect on Guess the Lines are discussed.
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:09Read transcript
Predictions praised as prescient include rejuvenation clinics, holograms, scenery channels, video calls and simultaneous screens.
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:49Read transcript
Franchise proliferation, commercialized nostalgia, ubiquitous cameras, drones, flat screens, hands-free gaming, wearable technology, fingerprint scanners and personal-device payments are identified as successful predictions.
Approx. transcript time · 00:18:54Read transcript
The hosts discuss limited-edition Nike shoes and whether they actually self-lace; holograms impress, while flying cars raise safety concerns.
Approx. transcript time · 00:20:12Read transcript
Missing technologies include hoverboards, self-drying jackets, automated dog walking and instant rehydrated food.
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:03Read transcript
The Cubs prediction misses by a year, while Miami's future team exists with a different name and league.
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:05Read transcript
Zemeckis required Fox and Lloyd to return and wanted a playful future rather than Blade Runner.
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:32Read transcript
Cast departures and simultaneous sequel production are discussed alongside Fox's television workload.
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:49Read transcript
The Part III trailer ending disappointed viewers compared with the original's complete emotional arc; the sequels feel like continuing adventures.
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:44Read transcript
Picking up immediately after the original is amusingly exhausting for Marty; a letter might have spared another urgent trip.
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:02Read transcript
Ebert reportedly identified Russ Meyer as the only earlier filmmaker to end with a trailer for the next movie.
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:33Read transcript
Fox's subsequent career and illness are discussed, including a reported connection between early symptoms and hoverboard balance trouble. The transcript mislabels his diagnosis; no medical fact is independently asserted.
Approx. transcript time · 00:28:43Read transcript
Boyish leading actors' difficulty aging into adult roles is compared with Broderick and Cusack, and television teens visibly aging out of their parts.
Approx. transcript time · 00:30:17Read transcript
1989's sequels and spectacles anticipate modern rushed productions whose scripts change during filming.
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:05Read transcript
Long explanations coexist with Buster Keaton-like visual comedy, particularly the extended attempt to retrieve the almanac.
Approx. transcript time · 00:33:12Read transcript
Cafe 80 s should have become a restaurant chain, with nostalgic clothes, drinks and music; the hosts imagine opening their own version.
Approx. transcript time · 00:37:19Read transcript
The homeless man seems unaffected by the changed timeline.
Approx. transcript time · 00:40:04Read transcript
Biff's familiar comic persona coexists with attempted murder and a murder confession.
Approx. transcript time · 00:42:50Read transcript
The UCLA result used to demonstrate the almanac is identified as a real game.
Approx. transcript time · 00:43:46Read transcript
Production secrecy may have backfired by concealing how Part II served as half of a larger story.
Approx. transcript time · 00:47:33Read transcript
A supposed explicit Strickland deleted scene is clearly a joke, not a production claim.
Approx. transcript time · 00:48:11Read transcript
The fictional October 2015 coincides with the Bill Simmons Podcast and The Watch launches.
Approx. transcript time · 00:49:45Read transcript
Glover's replacement used archive footage, prosthetics, background placement and an upside-down entrance; his lawsuit, changing accounts of the offer and Letterman appearance are discussed.
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:15Read transcript
Glover later reunited with Zemeckis on Beowulf; he objected to the original's apparent equation of happiness with wealth rather than love.
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:25Read transcript
Marty's reaction to his mother's altered body recalls the first movie's uncomfortable attraction joke.
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:22Read transcript
An unidentified speaker describes college-era wheeled hoverboards; the source lacks an explicit identity cue here.
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:21Read transcript
A father-son Celtics argument interrupts the category discussion.
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:04Read transcript
New-sport curiosity leads to kickball, snooker and curling comparisons.
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:41Read transcript
Sal's gambling dreams are floated as an Apex candidate, but he says they have repeatedly been dashed.
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:47Read transcript
A scolding category called I Think I'm Better Than You is proposed while criticizing the characters' decisions.
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:20Read transcript
A reportedly deleted gay-question line is discussed without clearly resolving the exact wording or speaker.
Approx. transcript time · 01:35:48Read transcript
The sequels might have worked as one film; Doc's extraordinary concern for Marty's future children is questioned.
Approx. transcript time · 01:38:07Read transcript
The invited closing contributor enjoys revisiting the familiar world more than the story, comparing its familiar characters and obvious backlot to a comforting sitcom; the timelines feel overcomplicated.
Approx. transcript time · 01:38:25Read transcript
The hosts miss the extravagant overacting common in older films.
Approx. transcript time · 01:40:35Read transcript
The almanac's potential for fantasy sports and discovering future stars prompts jokes about sleepers and Joey Chestnut.
Approx. transcript time · 01:40:51Read transcript
Craig Horlbeck receives an explicit spoken production credit, followed by Ringer Movies promotion and thanks to Sal.
Approx. transcript time · 01:41:35Read transcript