What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this final installment in the Back to the Future trilogy is, like its predecessors, a PG film with a tad more language than usual. But there's actually slightly less innuendo and a lot less bully-related violence in this one than in Part II. The coarsest language includes "bitch," "assh--e," and "s--t," with several insults and synonyms for "coward" thrown in on a more regular basis. Although there's romance, it's very chaste except for two kisses and one off-color reference to what a woman could do that's worth $80 to settle a debt. All of the violence involves guns and fists, and in one brief scene it looks like Marty is going to be hanged, but no one dies, and it's all kept rather comical, even when a huge group of horse-mounted Indians are riding with guns and arrows. Unlike in the first two movies, in this one Doc Brown learns love is even more important than his rules for time travel.
- Families can talk about how Marty and Doc remain loyal friends in all three movies. How do they help each other in this installment? What challenges change from film to film, and what stays the same?
- How did romance change Doc's ideas about time travel? Why does he decide that he's going to stay behind in the "past"?
- What does Marty learn about not letting taunts like "are you chicken?" get to him? How can you apply that lesson in your own life?
- If you've seen the first two films, which of the three is your favorite? Why?