Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
A short kid from a Canadian army base becomes the international pop culture darling of the 1980s—only to find the course of his life altered by a stunning diagnosis. What happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease?
- Released: 2023-01-20
- Runtime: 95 minutes
- Genre: Documentaries
- Stars: Michael J. Fox, Tracy Pollan
- Director: Davis Guggenheim
Comments
- ms-hoofwijk - 6 January 2024
Moving and personal
This documentary feels like a passion project directly from Michael to the world. He wants to talk about his life and his process. Not focussing only on highs or lows but a combination of the two. His journey has been turbulent and impressive. So him being honest and open about his life, his love and his thoughts was truly moving.
I'm gonna be honest I only new Michael from Back to the Future and some episodes of Spin City. So O can't say that I'm the biggest fan of everything he has touched. But I still felt for him when I saw a video of him with Doc a couple ago. That truly shocked me.
Seeing him like this made me realize that he is not Parkinson's, the disease does not control his life. It is just a part of it.
I am grateful for having seen his story and I wish him all the best! - cghera-1 - 11 September 2023
Emotional and to the point.
Disclaimer: I consider my review biased..
As this a documentary, you can not view this from the acting point. However in a directors point of view it is very nice they way that many actual movie scenes are used to present the real life of M. J. Fox events.
Watching M. J. Fox was as if I was seeing my late father who had Parkinsons for almost 25 years (he discovered it at his early 50s). All of his movements, the way he talks, the way he holds his hand in front of his face, his facial expressions, his freezing, his falls. This touched some delicate chords in me, and brought up memories...
This movie is the best way for someone to understand the basic challenges of a PD patient. It is a fight with the disease and day to day , month to month gets more and more difficult. It needs courage, psychological support and patience. My father also had an operation to install a deep brain stimulation device, which helped him but later created issues. The most important lesson however from the movie is that you need to acknowledge mainly to yourself that you have PD and you need to fight up to the last minute.
MJF and my father were lucky to have a spouse that gave full support. - MiloSuperSpesh - 8 July 2023
A brilliant documentary on a true legend of film and tv
This is highly polished production expertly edited with many of his early career scenes repurposed to showcase michaels early life, it's respectfull, surprisingly honest but just gives us the cliff notes of the people around him.
This is all about michaels struggles and success and how he copes with all of that with the diagnosis of parkinsons. It could have been a bit longer and has a slightly sanitized feel to it, like someone behind the scenes deemed some stuff to be too private or detrimental so it was cut, as it seems like michael was willing to bare all to the camera.
Michael's disease isn't sugar coated, we get a clear picture of what he deals with day to day and how it feels and what it means, in both the science of the condition and treatment, or lack there of.
We also get insight in to his injuries and the physical, mental toll everything has taken on him and once again a hint about his family,.
The ending feels a bit sudden and is bitter sweet.
All documentary makers would do well to follow this example.
