“Why do you want to tell this story now?” asks Davis Guggenheim of his subject Michael J. Fox. Watching his response you get the idea that he knows he’s running out of time. He wants to tell his story, on his terms, while he still can. Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie tells that story, spanning his meteoric rise to fame, and how his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis changed everything.
From a 16-year-old wannabe actor to the star of a multi-million dollar blockbuster franchise, Michael J. Fox won the hearts and minds of people all around the world. An 80’s heartthrob and one of the most iconic actors to ever grace La La Land. He was at the peak of his career until 1991 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Doctors told him he would only have 10 years left to work before it would become impossible for him to do so.
Still is split into two distinct storylines. It chronicles his rise to stardom and his incredibly successful career in the 80s, which is the side of Fox’s life people may be more familiar with. Then, after his diagnosis, we delve into a very personal insight into his day-to-day living with Parkinson’s. Still is successful mainly because it allows Michael J. Fox to reclaim the narrative around his life, especially after he announced his diagnosis to the world in 1998.
Guggenheim constructs an almost blockbuster-style spectacle as cinematic reenactments lie alongside archival footage to help piece together his story. That’s not to say Still feels impersonal though, as Michael J. Fox’s narration acts as an emotional through-line above everything we see on screen. Guggenheim also cleverly uses footage from various things that Fox had been in to contextualize the narration. In the beginning, Fox exclaims that he’s never really been still, and the documentary rolls with that running at a mile a minute – quite like his life.
Verdict
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie is a cinematic delight. As you’re being exposed to his life story it’s clear that it’s the only way it could have been told. This is one of Hollywood’s greatest-ever stars we’re talking about after all. Guggenheim does Michael J. Fox justice in a medium where it seems impossible to. His impressive career is something mighty to behold but Fox represents more than that now. To be diagnosed with an incurable disease and then use the power he accumulated to drive research forward on Parkinson’s is admirable. Micheal J. Fox has been and always will be a fighter, and this documentary solidifies that.
