A hallmark of Robert Zemeckis’ iconic trio of sci-fi comedy films, the Back to the future the franchise features many jokes that appear consistently throughout the trilogy. The form and presentation of these commonalities vary enormously, from parallel situations and dialogue pieces to outright parodies of other pieces of popular culture. Whatever the method of delivering these jokes, they all have one thing in common; an innate ability to entertain those watching.
Spread evenly across the three films, some of these recurring jokes are instantly apparent, while others only become obvious upon subsequent viewing. The trilogy is full of fun facts and Easter eggs, which means it’s entirely possible to miss all the recurring jokes on first viewing. The trilogy’s best jokes are a key factor in what makes Back to the future one of the most replayable film series of all time, yet another highlight for one of cinema’s best sci-fi adventures.
10
“Chicken”
A return to spaghetti westerns
One of Back to the future Most Immortal Jokes see protagonist Marty McFly frequently sucked into confrontations with the potential for heavy personal cost after being called “chicken“usually by a Tannen trying to use his pride against him. Although the joke only appears in Part II and Part III of the series, is contentiously the most famous joke in the entire sci-fi franchise.
The music swells and Marty reacts dramatically each time, with the series using the childish joke as an opportunity to simultaneously pay homage to iconic Sergio Leone-style spaghetti westerns. A handful of dollars. Buford Tannen mixes things up by calling Marty”scream‘” in Part III, but the effect this has on the prosecution of Michael J. Fox and the inimitable way in which the scene is filmed remain the same.
9
Biff and manure
Tannen’s unfortunate habit
Besides calling people”idiots” and a hilarious penchant for misusing idioms, Biff and his family members seem to have an unfortunate habit of attracting manure wherever they go. Perhaps the most beloved racing joke in the franchise, every film in the Back to the future the series features a manure-covered Tannen, courtesy of Marty McFly and Doc Brown in one way or another.
The first two films in the series see Biff buried under a pile of fertilizer after crashing his car into the back of a manure truck on two separate occasions, trying to chase Marty, before Michael J. Fox’s protagonist knocks out Buford Tannen. Part III and sends him head first into a cart of excrement. The Tannens’ comical howls of “I hate manure!” constitute the icing on the cake for one of the best jokes in the series.
8
“Hey, McFly!”
Marty never gets his drink
In three feature films, Marty McFly can never finish the drink he orders after arriving in the city, when he initially travels back in time. Unfortunately for the prosecution of Michael J. Fox, the running joke in this case stems from the fact that a hulking Tannen and his buffoonish entourage always barge into the cafe or saloon in question to rudely interrupt your drink with a threatening, “Hello McFly!“
Ordering coffee, Pepsi, and whiskey in the different time periods depicted in the three films, Marty never gets to enjoy the drink he ordered as a result of the intervention of several different generations of Tannens. Used to introduce the franchise’s family of villains perfectly in all three films, the sound of a “Hello McFly!” never fails to evoke a smile.
7
“It’s not to scale.”
Doc’s Intricate Model Array
A running joke inside Back to the future revolves around eccentric scientist Doc Brown use of Intricately designed physical models to demonstrate time travel concepts for Marty. Several sequences show Christopher Lloyd’s character begging Marty to “sorry for the rudeness“of their incredibly detailed models, before comically apologizing for the fact that the beautifully designed sets are”not to scale or painted.“
This joke appears in Back to the future and Back to the Future, Part IIIwith Doc demonstrating to Marty how the DeLorean will capture lightning from the clock tower in 1955 and the way in which a speeding train will push the car to the requisite 88 miles per hour in 1885, respectively. It’s a laugh-worthy joke hidden in plain sight that highlights Doc’s supreme eccentricity as a character.
6
Biff getting knocked out
Tannen’s propensity for involuntary unconsciousness
Biff and his great-grandfather had to endure all sorts of indignities during their encounters with Marty McFly and Emmett.Doctor” Brown in three Back to the future films, but one of the funniest and most prevalent sees Thomas F. Wilson’s cartoonish bully was knocked unconscious on multiple occasions.
George McFly (Crispin Glover) punches Biff in the lights in the first film of the franchise before Doc hits him with the door of the DeLorean to do the same in the sequel. Marty finished by knocking out Buford”Mad Dog“Tannen in the series’ climactic chapter to secure a hattrick of feel-good sequences against the franchise’s overarching villain. Marty’s example even manages to combine this gag with another franchise favorite, when the unconscious Mad Dog launches himself headfirst into a nearby cart full of manure.
5
“Safe and safe…”
A clear sign that things are not
A recurring joke present in all three films in the series Back to the future series, Marty McFly waking up in the darkness to hear the words “You are safe and sound“ of Lea Thompson’s variety of multiple characters in Back to the future series is a surefire indicator that things are not as they should be. These words are always followed by a phrase confirming that Marty was not dreaming after falling unconscious, with the revelation of the location in question shocking Michael J. Fox’s clouded protagonist into a state of full consciousness.
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Back to the Future Franchise Rotten Tomatoes Scores |
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|---|---|
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Back to the Future Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes rating |
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Back to the future |
93% |
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Back to the future part II |
63% |
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Back to the Future, Part III |
81% |
One of the franchise’s most instantly recognizable catchphrases, the joke also always sees Marty asking “Mom, is that you?” and Thompson’s character turns on the light the moment his son makes the connection. This comical status quo leaves a horrified McFly face to face with multiple versions of his mother and her descendants in different locations at various points in time throughout three films.
4
“Wow, Biff, what’s that?”
Look over there!
Several clashes throughout the Back to the future series sees Marty trapped by a Tannen in some way. In his attempts to make like a tree and get out of there, one of the Back to the future the best jokes see Marty McFly use the oldest trick in the book to distract Biff and his henchmen; pretending there’s something behind him while shouting “What is that?“
This technique comes with varying success for Marty. In Back to the futurehe punches Tannen after successfully distracting him, but Part II sees Biff take the punch thanks to his mechanical enhancements, while Buford Tannen’s sharp trigger finger thwarts Marty’s attempts to Part III. What never changes is the comedy of seeing the various versions of Biff fall for the oldest trick in the book on multiple occasions.
3
High Tannens
“Alright, punk.”
One of the harsh realities Back to the future universe is that the Tannen family is decidedly not the sharpest tool in the shed. That being said, they are undoubtedly formidable physical opponents. A burly bully who typically dominates everyone around him, Biff is practically twice the size of Marty, along with his grandson Griff and his ancestor Buford.Mad Dog“Tannen possessing a similar physical constitution in Back to the future part II and Part III respectively.
This comical disparity in physical size forms the basis of one of the franchise’s hilarious running gags. On several occasions where Marty finds himself face to face and ready to face the various iterations of Thomas F. Wilson’s antagonist, the already huge Tannen increases in size to the point that McFly literally disappears from view. In Back to the future part IIGriff becomes even bigger than his grandfather in 1955 due to his mechanical improvements.
2
Bulletproof vests
Channeling Clint Eastwood
Sergio Leone A handful of dollars plays a prominent role throughout Back to the futurewith the 1964 Clint Eastwood-led Spaghetti Western lending considerable influence to the Robert Zemeckis canon in the form of a notable joke. The joke in question is the bulletproof vest, a frequent item in the franchise.
The running joke first appears in Back to the futurewhere Doc wears a bulletproof vest to survive the Libyan attack at the end of the film. A sequence depicting Eastwood’s character wearing a piece of metal as a bulletproof vest is then shown in Part II to directly foreshadow Marty using the same technique in Part III to survive his duel with Buford Tannen. Creating some of the franchise’s most notable feel-good moments, the bulletproof vest is among Back to the future Most loved racing jokes.
1
Marty breaking and entering after time travel
McFly’s tendency to arrive as an unwelcome visitor
Through no fault of his own, Marty McFly has gained something of a reputation as an unwelcome guest. One of the series’ many recurring jokes is Michael J. Fox’s protagonist always inadvertently breaking into someone’s home in an unwanted way when he initially travels back in time. The various enraged occupants then proceed to chase away a bewildered Marty to the rudest welcome imaginable.
After being chased by angry residents carrying guns and baseball bats during Part I and Part II respectively, director Robert Zemeckis takes this joke to a whole new level in the third installment of the series. Part III sees Marty being chased by an angry grizzly bear, enraging the beast after he crashes the DeLorean into its cave while trying to travel back in time to the Old West.