In the 1980s there was no actor hotter than Michael J. Fox. Now, Apple Original Films takes audiences behind the curtain of Fox’s life in their new documentary “Still.” The trailer dropped today and shows an emotionally resonant, intense look at Fox’s life and career, as well as his public and private battle with Parkinson’s disease.
As Apple’s official synopsis lays out, “Still … incorporates documentary, archival and scripted elements, recounts Fox’s extraordinary story in his own words — the improbable tale of an undersized kid from a Canadian army base who rose to the heights of stardom in 1980s Hollywood. The account of Fox’s public life, full of nostalgic thrills and cinematic gloss, unspools alongside his never-before-seen private journey, including the years that followed his diagnosis, at twenty-nine, with Parkinson’s disease. Intimate and honest, and produced with unprecedented access to Fox and his family, the film chronicles Fox’s personal and professional triumphs and travails, and explores what happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease. With a mix of adventure and romance, comedy and drama, watching the film feels like… well, like a Michael J. Fox movie.”
The documentary looks to eschew many of the typical elements of the inspirational story usually aimed at tales of disability. Fox’s life and career is laid out, as well as intense footage with his family. Fox comes off as incredibly self-deprecating — a lot of jokes about his height are lobbed. As the final lines in the trailer lay out, he isn’t interested in telling the story of his life as one of a “sad sack.”
“Still” is directed by Davis Guggenheim, the man behind docs like “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Waiting for Superman,” received rave reviews out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. TheWrap’s review praised the film’s honesty and appreciation for its subject. “Part touching look at Fox’s struggle with Parkinson’s disease and part feat of editing that reconstructs Fox’s life via playfully assembled scenes from his movies and TV shows, “Still” belies its title just as surely as Fox’s life did.”
Fox initially started acting in 1979 and gained critical and commercial acclaim for his work on TV shows like “Family Ties” and “Spin City,” as well as anchoring the blockbuster “Back to the Future” series of films. In 1998, he publicly announced he was dealing with Parkinson’s disease. Since his diagnosis he has continued to work in both film and television. He was recently given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2022 at the Governors Awards.
You can watch the trailer for “Still” above. It drops on Apple TV+ May 12.
