Line #15 Creator/RobertZemeckis


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/robertzemeckis.jpg]]
2	->''"Good directing is good writing and good casting."''
3
4	Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an Academy Award-winning American director, most famous for the ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' trilogy, ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' and ''Film/ForrestGump''.
5
6	He started off as a protégé of Creator/StevenSpielberg in TheSeventies. Zemeckis and his writing partner Bob Gale ([[ThoseTwoGuys they were collectively known as The Bobs]]) wrote several cult films which flopped during this time, including ''Film/IWannaHoldYourHand'' (directed by Zemeckis), ''Film/NineteenFortyOne1979'' (directed by Spielberg), and ''Film/UsedCars'' (directed by Zemeckis).
7
8	Zemeckis first hit it big in TheEighties directing the light-hearted adventure film ''Film/RomancingTheStone''. He followed it up with ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'' (which The Bobs had written a few years before, but couldn't get made) and ''Roger Rabbit''. At the end of the decade, The Bobs made two sequels to ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'' [[ExecutiveMeddling to please Universal's executives]]. Starting in TheNineties, Zemeckis went on to direct more "serious" fare such as ''Forrest Gump'', ''Film/{{Contact}}'' and ''Film/CastAway''.
9
10	At the TurnOfTheMillennium, Zemeckis made several animated films with [[MotionCapture performance capture]] technology, giving us ''WesternAnimation/ThePolarExpress'', ''WesternAnimation/Beowulf2007'' and ''WesternAnimation/AChristmasCarol2009''. Responses to these films are mixed, mostly due to how [[UnintentionalUncannyValley disturbing they all looked]].
11
12	After the [[BoxOfficeBomb box office cataclysm]] that was ''WesternAnimation/MarsNeedsMoms'' [[CreatorKiller caused the mo-cap animation division of his studio to shut down]], he then had to head back to live-action cinema. In 2012 he released ''Film/{{Flight}}'' starring Creator/DenzelWashington, his first live-action movie in 12 years (and his first R-rated movie as a director since 1980's ''Used Cars''[[note]]The Bobs' script ''The Looters'', written in the pre-''[=BttF=]'' era, was directed by Creator/WalterHill in 1992 as ''Trespass''[[/note]]). It was a critical and commercial success, and helped usher in a CareerResurrection.
13
14	Zemeckis followed ''Flight'' with ''Film/TheWalk'', starring Creator/JosephGordonLevitt, in 2015 and ''Film/{{Allied}}'', starring Creator/BradPitt and Creator/MarionCotillard, in 2016. This was in turn followed with ''Film/WelcomeToMarwen'', starring Creator/SteveCarell and released in December 2018, an adaptation of ''Literature/TheWitches'', starring Creator/AnneHathaway and Creator/ChrisRock and released in October 2020, and a remake of Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''Film/{{Pinocchio\|2022Disney}}'' starring Creator/TomHanks and released in September 2022. Zemeckis is also attached to direct an adaptation of the graphic novel ''Here'' by Richard [=McGuire=], where he'll reunite Hanks with ''Forrest Gump'' co-star Creator/RobinWright.
15
16	----
17	!!Filmography:
18	[[index]]
19	* ''Film/IWannaHoldYourHand'' (1978)
20	* ''[[Film/NineteenFortyOne1979 1941]]'' (1979) (co-writer)
21	* ''Film/UsedCars'' (1980)
22	* ''Film/RomancingTheStone'' (1984)
23	* ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'' (1985)
24	** ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'' (1989)
25	** ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'' (1990)
26	* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' (1988)
27	* ''Film/DeathBecomesHer'' (1992)
28	* ''Film/{{Trespass\|1992}}'' (1992) (co-writer)
29	* ''Film/ForrestGump'' (1994)
30	* ''Film/TheFrighteners'' (1996) (executive producer)
31	* ''Film/{{Contact}}'' (1997)
32	* ''Film/CastAway'' (2000)
33	* ''Film/WhatLiesBeneath'' (2000)
34	* ''{{Film/Gothika}}'' (2003) (producer)
35	* ''Film/MatchstickMen'' (2003) (executive producer)
36	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePolarExpress'' (2004)
37	* ''WesternAnimation/MonsterHouse'' (2006) (executive producer)
38	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf\|2007}}'' (2007)
39	* ''WesternAnimation/{{A Christmas Carol\|2009}}'' (2009)
40	* ''WesternAnimation/MarsNeedsMoms'' (2011) (producer)
41	* ''Film/RealSteel'' (2011) (executive producer)
42	* ''Film/{{Flight}}'' (2012)
43	* ''Film/TheWalk'' (2015)
44	* ''Film/{{Allied}}'' (2016)
45	* ''Film/WelcomeToMarwen'' (2018)
46	* ''Film/{{The Witches\|2020}}'' (2020)
47	* ''Film/{{Pinocchio\|2022Disney}}'' (2022)
48	* ''Here'' (TBA)
49	[[/index]]
50	----
51	!!Common tropes in his films:
52
53	* TheAlcoholic: Alcoholism was a noticeably recurring theme in his works with characters hitting the sauce usually following a CynicismCatalyst or HeroicBSOD. Notable examples include [[HardboiledDetective Eddie Valiant]] in ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', Ernest Menville in ''Death Becomes Her'', and Doc Brown and Lorraine [=McFly=] in the ''Back to the Future'' trilogy. This was even the major central conflict for Whip Whitaker in ''Flight''.
54	* AssociatedComposer: Ever since ''Romancing the Stone'', composing legend Music/AlanSilvestri has scored every one of Zemeckis' works; the iconic ''Back to the Future'' theme included. His collaboration with Zemeckis is right up there with the likes of Creator/TimBurton and Music/DannyElfman as well as Creator/StevenSpielberg and Music/JohnWilliams and also Creator/JohnLandis and Music/ElmerBernstein as well as Creator/DavidCronenberg and Music/HowardShore.
55	* BreakthroughHit: ''Romancing the Stone'' propelled him to big-time household name status while ''Back to the Future'' helped solidify it.
56	* ChekhovsGun: Zemeckis was a master of what he referred to as [[http://backtothefuture.wikia.com/wiki/Setup_and_payoff "setup and payoff"]], a storytelling technique that relies on setting up seemingly irrelevant details or statements that have importance that only comes later in the payoff.
57	* CareerResurrection: Zig-zagged. His MotionCapture films barely made a dent in his career, but his critical feedback improved immensely after ''Film/{{Flight}}''. However the following three films he made all tanked at the box office, while the next two after were released straight to streaming, putting him on the back foot again.
58	* CreatorKiller: While ''WesternAnimation/MarsNeedsMoms'' didn't damage his career (as he was only a producer and not the director), it did lead to the closure of the [=ImageMovers=] Digital division of his production company and convinced him to return to live-action staring with ''Film/{{Flight}}'', which received critical acclaim. After both ''Film/TheWalk'' and ''Film/{{Allied}}'' bombed, ''Film/WelcomeToMarwen'' might be this for him as an original theatrical filmmaker after it tied for the worst opening weekend of the year and is on course to lose the studio $60 million. (His next two films both went to [[Creator/HBOMax streaming]] [[Creator/DisneyPlus services]].) Having said that, he's still slated to direct a big-screen adaptation of the graphic novel ''Here'', starring Creator/TomHanks and Creator/RobinWright, both of whom previously worked with him on ''Film/ForrestGump'', which could revive his career.
59	* DoingItForTheArt: Zemeckis said in an interview that a movie he made could only make a dollar at the box office and he still would have been happy with the film.
60	* GenreRoulette: Action-adventure (''Romancing the Stone'', ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit''), comedy (''I Wanna Hold Your Hand'', ''Used Cars''), science fiction (''Back to the Future'', ''Contact''), fantasy (''Beowulf''), horror and BlackComedy (''Death Becomes Her'', ''What Lies Beneath''), drama (''Forrest Gump'', ''Cast Away'', ''Flight''), biopic (''The Walk''), espionage thriller (''Allied'') and holiday (''The Polar Express'', ''A Christmas Carol'').
61	* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: In his earlier works, some shots will linger on one or more characters talking or doing something while there's activity among others in the background that they aren't aware of.
62	* MotionCapture: From about 2004-2011, Zemeckis made nothing but Motion Capture movies which always proved to be commercial successes. After the abysmal failure of ''WesternAnimation/MarsNeedsMoms'' (which he didn't direct, yet had his production company behind it) helped shut down the animation division of his studio, he's back to making live-action movies.
63	%%* PlayingAgainstType: Often casts actors this way.
64	* SignatureStyle: Loves to use big musical cues to highlight important reveals and plot developments, along with musical crescendos. The ''Back to the Future'' trilogy is filled with them. He is also always on the cusp of [[TechnologyPorn advancing film technology]] with many of his films StarringSpecialEffects, DoubleVision, MotionCapture, or blending actors into historical settings.
65	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: With only a few exceptions like ''Film/DeathBecomesHer'' and perhaps ''Used Cars'', his works are very much on the optimistic side due to the amount of heart found in his films and his positive and in-depth take on the human spirit.
66	* StarringSpecialEffects: ''Many'' of his films, even the live-action ones, are quite the [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome pioneers in special effects advancement]][[invoked]]. 3 of 4 films he made even won the [[MediaNotes/AcademyAwardForBestVisualEffects Best Visual Effects Oscar]].[[note]]''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' (1988, won), ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989, nominated), ''Death Becomes Her'' (1992, won) and ''Forrest Gump'' (1994, won)[[/note]]
67	* TomHanksSyndrome: A director example and also zig-zagged. He started off with relatively lighthearted, effects-laden action-adventure, fantasy and comedy films (''Used Cars'', ''Film/RomancingTheStone'', ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'', ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', ''Death Becomes Her'') before veering off into heavy dramatic territory (''Forrest Gump'', ''Cast Away'' [[note]]Both of which starred Creator/TomHanks no less[[/note]], ''Contact''). Then after starting [=ImageMovers=] Digital, he went back to fantasy (''The Polar Express'', ''Beowulf'') before, once again, heading into drama (''Flight'', ''The Walk'', ''Allied''). That being said, many of his fantasy and adventure works are not without their serious moments.
68	* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Intentionally does this with his films (the one for ''Cast Away'' gives away [[spoiler:that he does get off the island]] while the one for ''What Lies Beneath'' [[spoiler:gives away Harrison Ford as the bad guy, which renders the first 90 minutes of the heroine trying to figure it out moot.]]) He says that the market research shows that people want to know everything before going in.
69	%%* UncannyFamilyResemblance:
70	%%** The ''Back to the Future'' sequels: Creator/MichaelJFox and Creator/ThomasFWilson, in addition to playing Marty [=McFly=] and Biff Tannen, also play several of their family members, most notably Marty [=McFly=] Jr. and Griff Tannen in the second installment, and Seamus [=McFly=] and Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen in the third installment. The same applies to Creator/LeaThompson, who plays both Marty's mother in all three installments as well as Seamus' wife in the third film, and Creator/JamesTolkan, who plays Principal Gerald Strickland in the first film and his ancestor, U.S. Marshal James Strickland in the third film
71	%%** ''Forrest Gump'': Creator/GarySinise, who plays Lieutenant Dan, and Marlena Smalls, who plays Bubba's mother, also play both their character's ancestors. In addition, Creator/TomHanks plays both the titular character and his namesake (who is related to him in some way), Ku Klux Klan founder General Nathan Bedford Forrest.
72	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
73	** Due to the [[BoxOfficeBomb box office disaster]] [[WesternAnimation/MarsNeedsMoms this]] [[CreatorKiller [=ImageMovers=] Digital left us with]], [=ImageMovers=] Digital had other films planned such as a film based on ''Literature/TheNutcracker'', a ''[[Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit Roger Rabbit]]'' sequel, a [[TheRemake remake]] of the 60s animated [[Music/TheBeatles Beatles]] musical ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'' and a {{Kaiju}} GenreThrowback film ''Calling All Robots''.
74	** He was approached by Creator/GeorgeLucas to direct ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', but he declined.
75	** He was in talks to direct a live-action ''Franchise/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' movie for Creator/{{Universal}} in the mid-90s, but [[http://articles.latimes.com/2000/sep/12/business/fi-19557 production was halted.]]
76	** He was reportedly considered to direct ''Film/TheFlash2023'' for the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse, but turned it down over scheduling conflicts. Ultimately, Creator/AndresMuschietti was hired instead.

Context Creator / RobertZemeckis