Success isn’t a done thing in Back to the Future. First he saves his past, then his future, then his far past, then - who knows? We only got three films but somehow I can’t imagine that Marty got to rest on his laurels - for one thing, most of his hard work throughout the franchise went unnoticed by everyone around him for another, time travelling adventures aren’t so easy to get away from. Marty may protest but he loves a good adventure, and there’s his temper to consider. They’re ultimately unable to beat Marty because they don’t have any other skills, and they don’t have any friends or allies.Īnd young Marty, our hero, never quite gets a happy ending he’s always working towards it. The Tannens’ response to challenge is to beat it or cheat it: violence or dirty tricks. Marty McFly, with the help of Doc Brown, is the forever fly in their soup. But somehow, winning, be it winning money or winning Lorraine’s affections, never seems to last for them. It’s Biff and his son Griff who get to enjoy the fruits of their un-labour and who build a shaky empire - and loads of enemies - on it. It’s Biff who manages to give the almanac to his younger self. When Marty travels to the future in Back to the Future 2, and hits upon the idea of bringing a sports almanac back to his time, his scheme is turned back on him. That’s where the Tannens go wrong, when they rest on their laurels, and that’s where George McFly goes wrong, when he gives up. It’s a striving, not a resting state, and it’s not something that we can “win” or be given. Winning is temporary success is a work in progress. We want the McFlys to win, and to win permanently and comfortably, so why can’t they? Because winning, whatever the field of competition, isn’t just about being good. It’s Not About Winning, It’s about Working What the McFlys do, that the Tannens can’t, is be good people who are good at their jobs, who can capitalize on their talents without abusing them. The McFly’s great heroic trick throughout Back to the Future is figuring out how to be successful without being mean to stand up for yourself without standing on others’ backs. But Biff is the villain because he has never been good or understood its use. He even knows the value of building relationships with the right people, in a way, as evidenced by his constant pursuit of Lorraine. Biff Tannen clearly knows the value of material rewards, since he hoards them for himself while denying George. That’s a wonderful gift, but it’s not a promotion or raise. Goodness and skill give you the reward of knowing - your value, your worth, and your character. It’s true, being good is its own reward, but being good and being good at your job, don’t necessarily translate to material rewards. What Marty teaches his dad, and what George teaches his son, is that success is a balancing act that requires talent and handwork charisma and character. It takes his future-son travelling back in time and giving him the Pygmalion treatment to get George to stand up for himself and what he wants. At the start of Back to the Future, George is miserably under-thumb to his much less talented supervisor Biff Tannen. But by the time Marty sets out with Doc Brown, he’d stopped trying a long time ago. Good guys don’t always finish last, but they don’t always finish first, either. George McFly is smart and nice. But how do McFlys win? It’s not just by virtue of being better people, it’s through planning, determination, courage and sometimes even a little manipulation. Even when Marty is mucking everything up, he’s still our hero. They’re good people and they’re hard workers. Tannens, on the other hand, will always out themselves as bullies. McFlys may be tempted by easy outs and distractions, but eventually they all live up their potential. Poor Marty McFly is constantly travelling backwards and forwards in time, preventing the Biffs and Griffs Tannen of the world from succeeding at the expense of various McFlys, and for all the shenanigans of the B2F films, the climactic solution consistently revolves around Marty helping some hapless McFly learn to project his best self, and meanwhile, forcing the true self of Tannen into the light. McFlys are hardworking, talented and sincere. Tannens are strong personalities who steal ideas and capitalize on them to the utmost. Character, success, perception, and second chances - that’s Back to the Future. It’s Back to the Future Day, after all, so I was bound to tie it in to the world of work. What Back to the Future Can Teach Us About SuccessĭeLorians, hoverboards, incestuous crushes (really, Mom McFly, really?) and Buddy Holly aside, Back to the Future is about ethics, hard work and the power of personal brands. Stay with me, now.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |