Doc Corner: 'Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie' is a big Emmy contender

By Glenn Charlie Dunks

Even if Michael J. Fox wasn’t American television royalty, including being a five-time Emmy Award winner, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie would probably prove to be quite popular with the television academy. However, as a three-peat winner for Family Ties (“I feel four feet tall!” he said from the stage), a winner once more for Spin City, and a regular nominee in the guest acting category for just about anything he would take time to appear in (including Curb Your Enthusiasm; The Good Wife five times; and Rescue Me, another winner), I feel pretty confident that Davis Guggenheim’s moving biographic documentary will do well at this year’s Emmys.

And rightfully so...

And after a string of films including Waiting for ‘Superman’ and He Named Me Malala that were built around heart-tugging stories without much thought put into how they were made, Still really uses its subject’s vast history of recorded entertainment and archival footage to create a sweeping testament and tribute to Fox.

I would be easy for Still to veer into the saccharine. That, I feel, would have been a betrayal of the energy that Michael J. Fox has put into the world—first as an actor, and then as an activist for improved understanding of Parkinson’s Disease. The movie charts both, criss-crossing from time-to-time but keeping a clear steer on the narrative of his life. Fox began as an actor when he was a teenager, confined as he was to the drama club due to his small stature. A small role here, a larger role there and eventually he was in Hollywood and eventually the accidental star of network prime time sitcom Family Ties.

Could younger audiences understand the sort of sensation that Fox created within the industry? Stan culture as it is, you would think yes. But a sitcom star seems very unlikely as the sort of actor who it seemed nobody had anything bad to say about, and which provoked throngs of loved up female fans. The end of Family Ties led as it inevitably does to movies that started out strong (Back to the Future) and ended up… not strong (Greedy, The Concierge). A brief detour to New Zealand for Peter Jackson’s pre-Tolkien The Frighteners and the earlier Parkinson’s diagnosis that was kept quiet and that led to an alcohol problem brought him back to TV. It was during the successful run on Spin City that he announced his diagnosis and since then has been a tireless activist for reform and money. He would later even win a humanitarian award from the Academy (oddly, not mentioned in the doc).

It is a personal narrative that many different filmmakers could attempt and come up with the same thing. I’ve seen plenty of them and I am sure many viewers have too. They might have focused on what was lost rather than what was gained, which I think might be one of the crucial points of difference for Guggenheim’s film. Allowing us access into his life without reducing it to sadness and pain, of which there is plenty yet is not allowed to dominate. While he may not like to admit it, what he has been able to show the world as a person living with Parkinson’s Disease has done more than he will likely ever comprehend and Guggenheim’s film is keen to ensure you never forget the man nor what he has accomplished.

Fabulously edited by Michael Harte (who also elevated the Netflix doc-series Don’t Fuck With Cats into one of the platform’s very best), Still weaves a contemporary interview of Fox—still charming although notably (and justifiably) frustrated that his body cannot do what it once did so well as a comedian with great physicality—with film clips, recreations, archival news footage and home movies. The movie clips in particular work wonderfully, showing off his unique handsomeness and take the viewer from one part of his life to another, from one anecdote to the next, allowing him to glow in reverence. It’s like watching the DeLorean travel through time across his career, collecting bits and pieces and having them fall into perfect alignment.

Viewers gain painful but frank insight into the life of not just somebody with Parkinson’s Disease, but somebody whose entire life was built around their body as a vessel for entertainment. His movement and the way he used his body to assist in delivering a one-liner. He regrets being away from his family so much, a coping mechanism of sorts before he had truly reckoned with the reality of what it meant to have this disease as an actor. It’s a lovely needle to thread that Still doesn’t veer into some sort of macabre looking box, watching somebody the audience once loved turned into somebody whose body is failing, falling over and breaking bones. We see it all, Fox as writer and narrator would no doubt not want to disguise it anymore, but Guggenheim’s camera doesn’t come across as manipulative as it once has.

Quite intentionally I think, the movie ends with a sense of ease. Not quite stillness (he could never), but an understanding that there is no pity to be found in the story of Michael J. Fox. While his star shined brightly and was sadly dimmed too soon, he gave his fans and (most importantly) his family a life that will be remembered. He’s done more than most of us ever will. And if, as the film suggests, his body is failing more and more as he is now in his 60s, he won’t remain still. He is, after all, “a tough son of a bitch.”

Release: Streaming on AppleTV+

Awards chances: I don't think it would've quite struck Oscar's fancy for a nomination, but a bunch of Emmy nods seems pretty damn likely. I'd even predict a win depending on its competition. Either way, a strong contender.

Comments

[Finbar McBride]

Excellent film!

[Jhon Mike]

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[jules]

He was my first real crush, and I am so glad he has proved himself to be an admirable person after all these years. I feared this film would be maudlin but it manages to avoid that while still being honest about his condition. (Without looking up his competition, I think he deserved a Guest Emmy for The Good Wife.)

[Peter Bately]

A must-watch for fans. A Michael J. Fox Movie is a fascinating documentary that deserves praise as a strong Emmy contender.
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