Back to the Future

Continuity mistake: In the cafe in 1955 Marty goes into the phone booth to look up Doc's name in the phone book. When he finds it the name is on the left hand page, but when he tears it out of the book he tears out the right hand page. One could say he turned the page to tear it right-handed, however when he is asking the waiter if he knew where the address was, he is reading the address on the same side he tore out - check the tears on the edge. (00:36:30)

Continuity mistake: When Marty enters Lou's Cafe for the first time, check a group of people gathered outside next to the doors who say goodbye and leave the place. A shot later, they're all back together, talking. (00:37:46)

Sacha

Back to the Future mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Marty is using the phone to call Doc while he is in the diner, his watch (which is on his left arm) starts beeping and the guy behind the counter gives him a strange look. Marty rips out the phone book page and asks the guy behind the counter where XXX Riverside Drive is. Marty is no longer wearing the watch which he just had on seconds earlier. (00:37:55)

AidanN

Back to the Future mistake picture

Continuity mistake: In the cafe, the menu in front of Marty changes after Biff leaves. It starts looking like an ice-cream menu, with swirly lines at the top, but just before the future mayor comes into shot, the design on the front changes completely. (00:38:15)

Continuity mistake: When Biff's gang arrives at the diner for the first time, Skinhead walks behind Marty and plays with a ball. When the shot changes, he is walking behind him again, but this time he is not toying with the ball. (00:38:50)

Sacha

Back to the Future mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Marty and George are in the cafe talking about Goldie Wilson being mayor, George's head is turned facing Marty, but the next second his head is turned the other way. (00:40:35)

Continuity mistake: When Goldy (or Golby?) says, "Mayooorr", George is facing Marty. Then when Goldy starts saying, "Now that's a good idea," George is facing Goldy, without any motion of turning. (00:40:35)

DeathGawd

Continuity mistake: When Marty gets hit by the car and wakes up in Lorraine's bedroom. She constantly calls him Calvin. Marty says "Calvin, why do you keep calling me Calvin"? When he says this he puts his arm on his lap. In the next shot behind him when Lorraine replies, his hand/arm is by his side. (00:43:40)

lporzio4

Factual error: Marty McFly goes back in time to visit his mum-to-be and finds her watching an episode of The Honeymooners. The date is given as November 5, 1955 and yet the episode of the show - The Man From Space - was not screened until December 31, 1955. (00:44:15)

Continuity mistake: When Marty is in 1955 observing young Uncle Joey in his playpen, the colored balls on the second rung keep changing their positions from one angle to the next. (00:45:05)

ryguy_1983

Factual error: When Marty walks out of Lorraine's house, next to the front door is a light dimmer switch. Dimmer switches weren't invented until the late 1950s to early 1960s. (00:47:34)

Matdan97

Back to the Future mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When the JVC recorder is first played, the screen on the TV is a blue colour. Later, when Doc is playing the Libyan part again and again, the screen seems to be a brownish colour. (00:50:10 - 01:05:40)

Back to the Future mistake picture

Continuity mistake: In 1955, when Marty shows Doc the flux capacitor, he points the flashlight in different directions between shots (first at Doc, then the flux capacitor). (00:51:35)

ryguy_1983

Back to the Future mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Marty is playing back the Twin Pines Mall demonstration video for Doc, the camcorder tilts itself between shots, judging by the lens which sits higher above the TV set when Doc starts shouting, "1.21 gigawatts." (00:53:00)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: When Doc and Marty are looking for his dad at school, you can see a girl with a blue sweater going downstairs twice. (00:56:49)

Dr. Emmett Brown: Don't worry. As long as you hit that wire with the connecting hook at precisely 88mph the instant the lightning strikes the tower... Everything will be fine.

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Trivia: Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty. After filming quite a few scenes they realised his acting style was too dramatic for the humor desired, so they cast Michael J Fox (who they couldn't originally get because he was busy with the TV show Family Ties). Filming was on weekends and nights around his TV schedule and using his double at other times.

Stefanie

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Question: Right when Marty gets back to Doc before he goes back to 1985, he's praising his dad's actions of the night. One line that's bothered me ever since I can remember is "My dad laid out Biff. He's never stood up to Biff in his life." And then the Doc pauses for a second and gets a strange look on his face and says, "Never?" To that, Marty says, "No, why?" and the Doc shrugs it off saying, "Nevermind." What's Doc thinking? The best I can come up with is that he's wondering what effects it'll have on the future, but that's a rough guess. If anyone out there knows, I'd be happy to hear it.

DenizenZERO

Chosen answer: I think that is *exactly* what he is thinking. He realizes that by standing up to Biff, George may have irrevocably changed his personal future, and therefore affected Marty's future as well. This is exactly the sort of thing Doc was so eager to prevent by refusing to hear any information about the future.

Phil C.

Answer: It would have had to be something that would have happened anyway without the interference, otherwise Marty wouldn't have originally existed.

terry s

Answer: In the novel Marty adds that George is also thinking about college now. Doc says that this might delay Loraine and George having kids for awhile and adds that Marty might find himself like 10-14 years old when he gets back to 1985.

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