Funny / Back to the Future Part II

"The shark still looks fake..."

WARNING: Spoilers are unmarked.

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The Film

• An added bonus due to having to re-shoot the ending of Back to the Future: Marty asking Doc "Do [Jennifer and I] become assholes or something?" coupled with the look on Doc's face as if he's thinking about it for a second.
• The Jaws 19 ("This time, it's really, really personal") ad and its googly-eyed holographic shark. Marty screams in horror as it comes at him, and when it disappears...
  Marty: The shark still looks fake...
  • It's directed by Max Spielberg.
  • Not to mention the Hoverboard Ad.
• The Max Headroom-style celebrities on the TVs in the Cafe '80s.
  Ronald Reagan: Welcome to the Cafe '80s, where it's always morning in America, even in the aftern-n-noon! Hehehe...
  • Then Ayatollah Khomeini appears on a nearby monitor, and he and Reagan duel over what Marty should have to eat, with Ayatollah recommending the "Hostage Special".
  Marty: HEY!! *the two stop arguing* All I want is a Pepsi! *the monitors withdraw and a futuristic Pepsi bottle is served to Marty through a lift in the table*
  • The first celebrity host Marty sees is Michael Jackson, offering a nearby diner the Cafe 80's signature queasadilla.
• Marty doing a Double Take when he sees a girl walk out of the Cafe 80s, who appears to be wearing Nude-Colored Clothing.
• Marty to his half-conscious future son after witnessing him getting nearly pulverized by Griff and his goons, then deciding to handle him himself:
  Marty: [whispering] Stay down and shut up!
  • As Marty overhears the confrontation from behind the serving counter, he laments that his future son is a "complete wimp."
  • One of the sleeves on Marty Jr's futuristic jacket appears to be busted, as it keeps extending down past his left hand, even though that brand is supposed to automatically fit itself to the wearer.
  • Doc tells Marty to order a Pepsi while waiting for Griff, and gives him a 50-dollar bill!
• A Call-Back to the first film, when Griff's shoes elevate him to tower over Marty. And when Marty tries to pull the same Look Behind You trick as the first film, Griff grabs Marty's punching hand. But he's quickly thwarted by a Groin Attack. There's even a metallic noise that comes along...
• The gag of Marty pointing behind an aggressor and exclaiming "What the hell is that?!", overall. It technically works twice.
• In the future, a scene occurs which mimics the manure truck scene from the first film, only Griff (Biff's grandson) is the Asshole Victim. 2015 Biff watches and comments "There's something very familiar about all this."
  • Even better, in 1955, 2015 Biff is hanging back, waiting for his moment to talk to his 1955 self. He overhears 1955 Biff and the mechanic talking about the first manure encounter. 2015 Biff says "The manure! I remember that," and he sounds amused by the memory. Between that and his correcting 1955 Biff on his malapropism, 2015 Biff was able to achieve a pretty decent level of maturity as he aged.
• Doc about what would happen if Jennifer meets her future self:
  Doc: I foresee two possibilities. One, coming face to face with herself thirty years older would put her into shock and she'd simply pass out. Or two, the encounter could create a time paradox, the results of which could cause a chain reaction that would unravel the very fabric of the space-time continuum, and destroy the entire universe! Granted, that's a worst-case scenario. The destruction might in fact be very localized, limited to merely our own galaxy.
  Marty: Well, that's a relief.
  • The part where the two Jennifers meet can also cause laughs. They gasp in unison, exclaim, "I'M OLD!"/"I'M YOUNG!" at the same time, and faint in unison.
• Jennifer expresses excitement at the thought of seeing her and Marty's wedding when taking her first ride in the time machine. This excitement deflates later on after she finds a picture of them as newlyweds.
  Jennifer: [in horror] I get married in the Chapel O'Love?! I gotta get out of here. [drops the picture on the ground and heads for the door]
  • Freeze-framing a shot showing the picture reveals that not only will Marty cheap out on where to hold the wedding, but he will wear a shirt with a tuxedo pattern instead of a suit, and Jennifer will wear a ridiculously short dress.
  • Right before 2015 George, upside down on his hover back stretcher, joins 2015 Lorraine in lamenting their youngest son's inability to handle people calling him "chicken", he replaces the picture on the counter upside down!
• Marty and Jennifer's daughter, Marlene, is Michael J. Fox in drag.
• The 2015 dog-walker.
• When 2015 Marty comes home from work, he notices that somebody turned "lithium mode" off, and turns it back on.
  2015 Marty: Damn kids...
• One of the many advances of 2015 is dehydrated food pellets that can be turned into delicious, full-sized meals. Future Lorraine brought a pizza about the size of a cookie that rehydrates into a large, split pizza with pepperoni and green peppers big enough to feed a whole family.
  • If you look closely, you can see that Marty Jr picked one of the slices with peppers on it, then promptly picks them all off!
• While the Running Gag of Marty being called "chicken" was done a lot, special mention goes to 2015 Marty when 2015 Needles dares him to do something illegal.
  2015 Marty: Nobody calls me "chicken," Needles. NOBODY!!!
  • Also the first time it happens:
    Marty: Nobody. Calls me...
    [Marty angrily tosses his hat away, Griff whips out a baseball bat]
    Marty: [nervously giggles] ...chicken.
  • And the third time, when Marty is confronted by 1955 Biff after being distracted by the sight of 1955 Marty saying goodbye to his future parents:
    Marty: Nobody... calls me... "chi—" [WHAM! Marty is knocked into a wall by 1955 Marty slamming the door open in a hurry]
    • As well as the fact that after 1955 Biff sees TWO of "Calvin Klein", one who was bugging him all day in a leather jacket and fedora, and another who just ran past him... he's more concerned about just getting the almanac back.
• Our true introduction to 1985-A. Marty returns to what he thinks is his home, only to find the front door locked, so he tries to climb in through the window to "his" room, only to trip and suddenly find that a black family lives here. The girl in the room starts screaming as Marty attempts to apologize, then the girl's father runs in with a bat and starts trying to hit him with it, destroying up everything else in the process as Marty is forced to escape. A complete misunderstanding and utterly terrifying for Marty, but absolutely hilarious for viewers.
• Marty pulls the Newspaper Dating trick, only to find out it's 1985-A Strickland's porch. The first thing 1985-A Strickland says, carrying a loaded shotgun and pointing it at Marty?
  1985-A Strickland: So you're the son of a bitch who's been stealing my newspapers!
• As Marty gets to the 1985-A Hill Valley town square, he bumps into Red, still a bum in this timeline, who says to him "Watch where you're going, crazy, drunk pedestrian!"
• Marty running into 3-D, Match, and Skinhead outside Biff's Pleasure Palace:
  Skinhead: You're coming with us upstairs.
  Marty: Let me go!
  Match: Sonny, we can do this the easy way or the hard way!
  *3-D hits Marty over the head*
  Disembodied voice: The easy way!
  • Plus, Marty's horrified scream right before this when he sees Biff smooching Lorraine.
• It's not the lines so much as how Marty and Doc mug while saying them:
  Marty: You're not gonna believe this; we gotta go back to 1955!
  Doc: I don't believe it!
  Marty: That's right, Doc. November 12, 1955.
  Doc: Unbelievable that Old Biff would have chosen that particular date! It's almost as though that day is central somehow, as though it were the focal point of the entire space-time continuum! [Beat] On the other hand, it could just be an amazing coincidence.
• Doc gives money to Marty for buying '50s clothes, and tells him to buy "something inconspicuous!" One Gilligan Cut later, Marty is outside Biff's grandma's house with his walkie-talkie, wearing a not-so-inconspicuous leather jacket and a Blues Brothers-esque hat and shades combination. The way that he slides into the camera shot before pulling out his walkie-talkie◊ just adds to the hilarity.
  • The fact that Doc is Crazy-Prepared enough to just have a suitcase full of era-appropriate cash in the DeLorean, even down to the change.
• Admittedly it's cruel, but it's also hilarious when Biff throws the kickball onto the roof and tells the kids who wanted it back, "GO GET IT!" and walks off cackling to himself.
• 1955 Biff repeatedly gripes about having to pay $300 to have his car repaired, to the point it becomes something of a Running Gag ("Three hundred bucks?!").
• 1955 Biff butchers yet another phrase while he's harassing Lorraine:
  1955 Biff: That's about as funny as a screen-door on a battleship!
  Marty: [exasperated] "Screen-door on a submarine," you dork...
• The entire scene between 1955 Biff and 2015 Biff.
  • When 1955 Biff first meets 2015 Biff in his car after Lorraine runs away from him:
    2015 Biff: You always did have a way with women.
    1955 Biff: [gaping at his future self in angered shock] Get the hell out of my car, old man!!
  • The expression on 1955 Biff's face seals the line: He looks like he's going through a Humiliation Conga (which, until 2015 Biff pulls out the sports almanac, he kind of was), and he's more annoyed at having to tell an old man to leave his car than the actual old man.
    2015 Biff: Just get in the car, butthead.
    1955 Biff: Who you calling "butthead", butthead?
  • As the two Biffs arrive at 1955 Biff's home, 1955 Biff is hanging out of the car in utter distress and bellows "THIS COST ME THREE HUNDRED BUCKS!", all the while 2015 Biff has a look of supreme annoyance on his face.
    2015 Biff: Would you shut up about the car?
  • 2015 Biff gives 1955 Biff the almanac:
    1955 Biff: Hey, that's very nice, thank you very much! Now why don't you make like a tree and get out of here?!
    2015 Biff: [slaps his younger self] It's "LEAVE", you idiot! "Make like a tree and leave." You sound like a damned FOOL when you say it wrong!
    1955 Biff: Alright, then, LEAVE!
  • "Don't you have a safe?! [Beat] No, you don't have a safe. GET A SAFE!"
• Doc gets to 1955 Biff's garage to retrieve Marty, not realizing that Marty is already in the back of 1955 Biff's car on the way to the dance.
  Doc: Marty! Marty! Marteeeeee! [comes back out] Damn! Where is that kid?!
  • What's more is that Doc is wearing a disguise of his own, and he forgot to remove the sales tags. As he grumbles about where Marty is, he rips off the tags on his hat.
  • Even better, his last two sentences are a Call-Back to the first film.
• Marty ducks below the window of the car where his 1955 self and 1955 Lorraine are parked. Lorraine says that when she has kids, she'll let them do whatever they want. 1955 Marty says, half underneath his breath, "I'd like to have that in writing." 1985 Marty says to himself, "Yeah, me too."
• 1955 Strickland scolds 1955 Biff for putting alcohol in the punch, and then he goes into his office and has a drink himself. Of course, Strickland's over the legal drinking age of 21, but considering how uptight he is...
  • Then again, he probably has to deal with so many slackers he probably needs that drink.
• Marty sneaks into Strickland's office and hides under his desk. He tries to reach for the almanac on the desk, only for Strickland to roll back his chair, the back of which traps Marty's hand. Marty screams in silent pain, even biting down on his hat for a moment.
• Marty's excited reaction to remembering 1955 Biff's TKO is in the process of happening when talking to Doc about how he can't get the almanac.
  Marty: [to Doc on the walkie talkie] I just don't know where— [hears the scene outside; turns to the window] OF COURSE! [to Doc] I gotta go, I got one chance, my old man's about to deck Biff!
• When Marty takes the almanac from a TKO'd 1955 Biff (after being punched out by 1955 George), the latter wakes up just in time to see Marty reaching into his pocket. Marty's response? He punches 1955 Biff in the face to knock him unconscious again. Bearing in mind that he is surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.
  Marty: It's okay, I know CPR. [digs around 1955 Biff's jacket] I know CPR...
  [1955 Biff comes to]
  Wallet Guy: What's "CPR"?
  1955 Biff: [notices Marty] You!
  Marty: [locks eyes with Wallet Guy, knocks 1955 Biff out, and grabs the almanac] He's fine. [books it]
  Wallet Guy: [to Marty running away] Do you just take his wallet? [to bystanders] He just took that guy's wallet!
• Marty interrupting his mission to stop 1955 Biff's goons just so he can bob along◊ to his own rendition of "Johnny B. Goode."
• When Marty and Doc fly over 1955 Biff's car to get the almanac back, Marty suggests landing on top of Biff, but Doc talks him out of it...because it'll destroy the DeLorean. This implies that Doc wants to follow Marty's idea but he can't because it'll not only endanger Biff but also ruin the car. (Justified, because they need it to go back in time, but still...)
  Marty: There he is, Doc! Let's land on him! We'll cripple his car.
  Doc Brown: Marty, he's in a '46 Ford. We're in a DeLorean. He'd rip through us like we were tin foil.
  • Extra justified in the third film, when an ordinary cargo train rips through the DeLorean no problem.
• 1955 Biff's hysterical Double Take after he spots Marty attempting to swipe the almanac from him while he's driving.
  1955 Biff: YOU AGAIN?!
  • A little before that as the DeLeorean is tailing him (hovering off the ground but from Biff's perspective it seems to be on the road) and Biff looks confused at this silent futuristic car tailgating him being driven by an old man but continues to drive as he can't see Marty and has yet to meet Doc Brown so he doesn't recognize him. Then, as Doc flies away, Biff looks back again and notices the car behind him has suddenly vanished without a trace in the middle of the road and mouths a confused "What?" before shaking his head and going back to driving. Biff is apparently so done with everything for the night that he just ignores this future phantom car with slight confusion.
• 1955 Biff's reaction to his second crash with the manure truck. He's so upset that he looks ready to cry.
  1955 Biff: [spits manure out of his mouth] MANURE! I HATE MANURE!
  • Doubly hilarious since he's only had his car back for literally less than a full day, and it's already wrecked all over again. Since we don't see the car again after this point, and in the future Biff drives a pick-up truck, it's easy to assume he just junked the '46 Ford after this.
• The Western Union guy who appears after Doc is zapped into the past.
  Western Union Guy: [to Marty] I've got something for you... [reaches into his jacket; instead of pulling out a gun, he pulls out...] a letter.
  • His move is even accompanied by an ominous thunderclap.
• The entire third act of the movie, with Marty running around Hill Valley 1955 for a second time and revisiting the key scenes from the first movie, is both funny and awesome for fans.
  • Which ultimately culminates in the ending: 1955 Doc is celebrating sending 1955 Marty back to 1985... only for 1985 Marty to come barreling into scene, grab him, and explain to him that he came back from the future... prompting 1955 Doc to pass out.
  Doc Brown: Great... Scott! (faints)
• When Marty and Doc arrive in 2015, while Doc is briefing Marty on going to the Cafe 80s and what he should and shouldn't do in the future, notice that one thing he says is to 'try not to look at anything', which he says literally as Marty is peering over Doc's shoulder to feast his eyes on the future. It's either perfect timing, or Doc knows Marty so well he knew he'd do just that.

Behind the Scenes/Other

• Regarding the zeerust of 2015 Hill Valley.
• The outtake of Joe Flaherty (who plays the Western Union man) accidentally trapping part of his jacket in his car's door.
• The Chicago Cubs didn't win the World Series in 2015, but they ended up winning in 2016. Afterwards, Michael J. Fox tweeted:
  Michael J. Fox: Only off by a year, not bad. Congrats @Cubs. This is so heavy. #FlyTheW
  • Even more hilarious, the franchise's Twitter account claimed the discrepancy was due to the film's events taking place in an alternate timeline where the 1994 baseball strike never occurred. So the creators' technically did predict the team winning the 30th World Series that occurred after the film's events in 1985.

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