Back to the Future

Continuity mistake: Before Lorraine brings Joey's cake, George leaves a bunch of crumbs on the table and starts to watch TV and do some numbers. After the cake lands on the table, the place is spotless.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: When Doc syncs his stopwatch and the dog's, he holds them away from their bodies. A frame later his hands are close to his chest and there's dog hair all around.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: After Joey's cake lands on the table, George puts his arm to the right of the cereal package. A frame later it's on the left side and holding a pencil.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: While Marty's 1950s family is having dinner, the milk bottle's level is one mark below the red printed label. A second later it's 5 centimeters above the red mark.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: When Doc puts Einstein in the car, the dog turns his head inside the car. A frame later, from a new angle, it's outside the car.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: Before Marty kicks the speaker while playing Johnny B Goode, there is a case of Pepsi below it which disappears between shots.

oswal13

Continuity mistake: When Marty stops the Delorean in front of the Lyon Estates sign after escaping the farm, notice the sun - it's overcast and kind of foggy. When he looks at the sign from another angle, it has become more sunny, and later in the day. When the couple with the car passes, it has returned to the same as before.

manthabeat

Continuity mistake: When Marty arrives at 1955-Lyon Estates he removes his hood and his fringe is brushed from right to left. When the angle changes it has swapped sides.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: Right before Doc presses the remote control to send Einstein to the future, his left index and thumb fingers are on the remote. In the close-up it's just his thumb on it. In further close-ups it swaps to the index and thumb.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: Before Doc sends Einstein to the future and says "If my calculations are correct...", Marty raises his left arm. When the angle changes it's lowered.

Sacha

Back to the Future mistake picture

Continuity mistake: While Marty is talking with Jennifer in the square he is holding a tape case in his left hand which disappears in the next shots.

oswal13

Continuity mistake: While Doc is explaining to Marty how the machine works, he has a device on his index finger on his right hand that moves in the next shots.

oswal13

Continuity mistake: When Marty drives out of the Peabody barn after arriving in 1955, it's night, or certainly pre-dawn - the sky is very dark from every angle when he's fired at while driving away. Next shot he drives past the "Peabody ranch" sign onto the main road and it's significantly brighter, with the sun rising over the horizon. Then when he notices the Lyon Estates sign shortly afterwards it's broad daylight - judging from the length of the shadows the sun's very high in the sky. Lyon Estates isn't that far from Twin/Lone Pine(s) mall.

Back to the Future mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Biff and his goon friends are in Biff's car, as they chase Marty on his borrowed 'skateboard', the car's rearview mirror repeatedly disappears and reappears, and the side mirror changes from round to square repeatedly. (01:06:50)

Super Grover

More mistakes in Back to the Future

Marty McFly: Calvin? Why do you keep calling me Calvin?
Lorraine Baines: Well, that is your name, isn't it? Calvin Klein? It's written all over your underwear.

More quotes from Back to the Future
Back to the Future trivia picture

Trivia: Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty. After filming quite a few scenes they realised his acting style was too dramatic for the humor desired, so they cast Michael J Fox (who they couldn't originally get because he was busy with the TV show Family Ties). Filming was on weekends and nights around his TV schedule and using his double at other times.

Stefanie

More trivia for Back to the Future

Question: Right when Marty gets back to Doc before he goes back to 1985, he's praising his dad's actions of the night. One line that's bothered me ever since I can remember is "My dad laid out Biff. He's never stood up to Biff in his life." And then the Doc pauses for a second and gets a strange look on his face and says, "Never?" To that, Marty says, "No, why?" and the Doc shrugs it off saying, "Nevermind." What's Doc thinking? The best I can come up with is that he's wondering what effects it'll have on the future, but that's a rough guess. If anyone out there knows, I'd be happy to hear it.

DenizenZERO

Chosen answer: I think that is *exactly* what he is thinking. He realizes that by standing up to Biff, George may have irrevocably changed his personal future, and therefore affected Marty's future as well. This is exactly the sort of thing Doc was so eager to prevent by refusing to hear any information about the future.

Phil C.

Answer: It would have had to be something that would have happened anyway without the interference, otherwise Marty wouldn't have originally existed.

terry s

Answer: In the novel Marty adds that George is also thinking about college now. Doc says that this might delay Loraine and George having kids for awhile and adds that Marty might find himself like 10-14 years old when he gets back to 1985.

More questions & answers from Back to the Future

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