Directed by:
Robert Zemeckis

Starring:
Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly
Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett Brown
Lea Thompson as Lorraine Baines
Crispin Glover as George McFly
Thomas F. Wilson as Biff Tannen
Claudia Wells as Jennifer Parker
Marc McClure as Dave McFly
Wendie Jo Sperber as Linda McFly
George DiCenzo as Sam Baines
Lee McCain as Stella Baines

• The episode of "The Honeymooners" (1950) that Lorraine Baines' family watch wasn't shown until December 31st, 1955, yet is seen in November 1955.

• In 1955 Marty plays a Gibson ES-355 (guitar), a model which didn't exist until 1959.

• When Marty is in the time machine trying to get away from the men in the van shooting at him it shows the mileage (?), then in the next shot the mileage is different!! - kate

• When Marty is acting as Darth Vader in George's room, the hair dryer on his belt disappears, then reappears again. - jake

• In the scene where Biff is driving the convertible, notice the rear view mirror disappears, then re-appears and also moves from the top to the upper middle of the windshield. - monica polo

• When Marty arrives at the dinner for the first time, he goes to the phone-booth to look up a phone number. The phone numbers in the book read as the same as today's numbers...i.e. a prefix followed by 4 more numbers. At that time they used a combination of numbers and letters...i.e. garfield 2132. - Topher

• When Doc sends Einstein into the future at the mall he sends the dog one minute into the future. If you use a stopwatch and time the time that the dog was gone, it was well over 1 minute. The scene never cuts and the dog is gone for over one minute. - seth

• When George McFly cuts back in with Lorraine at the Enchantment Under The Sea dance, when he pushes the rude boy down, the mat that the actor falls on is clearly visible (it pops up in camera range when he falls on it). - Eric Burroughs

• In the opening when the shelf in Doc's garage falls on Marty the first shot shows the shelf full of boxes and plastic bottles. But on the close-up shot Marty is covered with papers. - jason

• In 1955 when mayor Red Thomas' campaign car drives by there are two speakers on top of the car, {one facing front, one facing backwards}. But when the car turns the corner the one on the back is missing. - jason

• Marty is in the time machine, escaping from the Libyans, close to the beginning of the film. As Marty wants to speed up he moves the gear stick into second. The camera goes to the Libyans and then back to Marty, only for him to change back into second gear again, using the same shot. - LeonPhoenix

• At the very end of the film Marty is leaning on the car with his left hand above him against the side of the windscreen. In the next shot both his hands are leaning across the open car door window. - Austin Powers

• When Marty first gets into the town in 1955 he goes past a welcome sign that has a Jaycee sign on it. The Jaycees were the "Junior Chamber of Commerce" in 1955 not the "Jaycees". - JB

• In the opening scene the camera pans around Doc Brown's lab. The motorized can opener grabs a can of dog food and swings it around to the blade that takes off the lid. The lid remains on the magnet and the dog food slops into the bowl, where it is evident that no food has been eaten for several days. But there is a logical problem with the scene. If no one has been in the lab for several days, who took the dog food can lids off the magnet from the previous day? If this scene was accurate then the previous day's lid would prevent the magnet from attaching to the new can that morning. - Steve

• When Marty goes back to his time, at the end of the movie, there is a terrible storm, wind, and lightning. The lightning hits the clock, Marty disappears, and funnily enough, so does the storm. The professor is standing in a very calm, silent, clear night. No wind, no lightning anymore. Weird, isn't it? - Adamastor

• At the end of the movie, Marty returns home to see the NEW version of his family now that dad had whipped Biff. So the brother is business like and the sister is cool, and the parents are sporty and fit, and Marty hasn't changed one bit. Yet they all accept his appearance as 'sleeping in his clothes again' yet right, so everyone changed, yet Marty was completely the same??? Even Jennifer sees nothing wrong with him. - Bbrother

• I've seen this movies (BTTF 1 and 2) only once, and I still remember this: When Michael J. Fox gets in the car (the DeLorean), there's a couple of takes of his right foot, when he accelerates. On one take, he is wearing Nike shoes, on the other, he is wearing a different brand. (Theatre) - Peter Crosby

• There's one big thing wrong here. At the end of the movie when Marty goes back to 1985, why aren't his parents the least bit confused that they met their son when they were in high school?! - the dog

• (Continuity) In the scene where Marty is being chased by Biffs 46 Ford through town on that kids scooter deck, The Ford changes from a 1946 (Square turn signals near hood) to a 1947 (round turn signals below headlights) and then back to a 1946 ford again. - Chris

• (Spoiler) (Factual errors) Doc Brown heeds Marty McFly's advice about Libyan terrorists shooting him, so he wears a bulletproof vest. But such a vest, especially from such a long time ago as 1985, wouldn't stop loads of high-powered rounds from an AK-47 which that terrorist uses - and from such a close distance too. Doc Brown should have survived only if someone shot him with a relatively low-powered pistol round. - Kodanshi

• (Continuity) In 1955, there is a scene by the clothesline in the backyard where Marty is helping George, and Marty's left shirt pocket flap is normal. It then changes to being tucked in and then changes back to being out of the pocket. (VHS/DVD) - krusher

• (Plot holes) Come to think of it, the time machine is very dangerous in that how would Doc or Marty know what's standing in the path of the DeLorean when it reaches its destination? There could be a brick wall or a person standing in the path of the DeLorean when it reappears in its destination. E.g. at the end of the movie when Doc pops up onto Marty's driveway in his time machine, Marty and Jennifer could've been standing on the exact spot where the DeLorean reappeared. How would Doc know? - Boogeyman

• (Factual errors) In the First BTTF Doc sends Einstein in to the future using a remote control to drive the car (i.e. Steer, accelerate and break). To Accelerate Doc simply press a switch on the controls forward. Yet when marty is driving the car he has to shift gears. It isn't possible for Doc to shift gears using the remote control. - Chris

• (Plot holes) When they use the clock's timing to know when the lightening is going to strike the reason they know the lightning struck at precisely 10:04 was because the clock stopped however as there are no witnesses as to when this actually happened it is quite feasible that the clock could of been altered ie the hands could of been knocked while the doc was climbing and hanging things all over it. How come with all the wires ropes and weather detecting equipment he wasn't blamed for the strike? - boarb

• (Plot holes) The Doc was wearing the bullet proof vest because he had read the letter marty gave him in 1955. So he had also presumably seen the video. Why then bother to test the car with the dog and why not put an extra thing of plutonium in the car. That way he wouldn't have to bother with all the lightning stuff. - boarb

• (Continuity) At the end of the film, Lorraine calls Marty by his correct name. But doesn't she still think his name is Calvin Kline? - pmusachia

• (Continuity) When Doc straps Einstein into the DeLorean for his "Test" trip, the Time Circuits "Destination Time" is visible as being set for the 5th and the time of 5:35am, instead of October 26th 1985, 1:22am.

• (Continuity) When the Time Machine disappears with Einstein, Doc looks at the speed display on his Remote Control and yells "88 Miles Per Hour!", but when he holds the Remote to his chest, the speed display is clearly visible and is blank. - Jay

• (Continuity)In the scene early in the movie where Biff is talking to George about the car he crashed, they show a shelf with a candy jar that is full. Near the end of the scene when Biff goes to take a hand full of candy out it is only half full. - Amber

• (Continuity) In BTTF II, Marty looks through the binoculars from the High School gym steps and sees himself driving up with Lorraine. Yet in BTTF I, as Marty drives up with Lorraine, no one is standing on the steps (not even Biff, reading OO La La.) - gdwms

Debated Goofs

• When Doc explains how the time machine works, he used Jesus Christ's birthdate as the example. The display says 0000-Dec-25. But there was never year with number 0! After 1 B.C. was 1 A.D. year. By the way, Jesus wasn't born on 25th December 1 A.D. He was born between 4-6 A.D. due the mistake in calendar. - Omikron
  • Comment: Jesus Christ was born in 6 B.C. - Moose
    • Comment: I thought B.C. stood for BEFORE CHRIST. So how could Christ be born 6 years before Christ? :/ - Donga
      • Correction: The first person who submitted the goof is right. In the 16th century I think it was, the calendar as we now it today was being made. The way the fixed it made Christ to be born 6 years "before" himself. So it is just the calendar which makes it this way and not some magical feat. - Kaity
  • Comment: Not to mention the fact that Jesus wasn't born on December 25th - that date to celebrate Jesus' birth was chosen much later, to coincide with existing pagan festivals. Biblical scholars think that he was probably born sometime in September, based on evidence in the Bible. - wherever
    • Explanation: About the Jesus birthdate debate: It's a joke! Writer Bob Gale himself says that no one ever gets that it is a joke, and not a mistake. You can stop debating now. (DVD) - Sam

     

Commented Goofs

• In "Back to the Future 1" Marty can only travel in time if the DeLorean is struck by lightening AND is traveling 88mph at the same time. But in part 2 the car travels back to the old west after being hit by lightening only. It is not traveling fast but merely hovering in a storm. - Dave
  • Comment: Dave it doesn't have to be going 88 miles an hour Doc explains in Back to the Future 3 when he states the the lightning activated the time circuits (which is false he bumped the circuits but he didn't know so to him it makes sense). The 1.21 jigawatts activated the flux capacitor and sent him back. - ash
    • Comment: Notice the loops of fire tracks in the sky. The DeLorean did do 88mph, it just did so by flipping over itself. I'm sure if the lightning can disrupt the time circuits, it can also disrupt the hover conversion. (DVD) - Sam
• Doctor Emmet Brown wears Velcro footwear in the 50s. Velcro footwear wasn't developed until the 1980s.
  • I read somewhere that Doc might have found the shoes in Marty's bag.
  • Comment: Doc could of made velcro and make the shoes himself, he was an inventor... - shaggy151
  • Comment: Remember that Doc packed a suitcase for himself in 1985. I'm sure he looked through it in 1955. (In fact he did, if you watch the deleted scenes. But anyway...) The hair dryer also comes from that suitcase, if anyone was wondering. (DVD) - Sam

Corrected Goofs

• Entering Hill Valley in 1955, Marty McFly hears "Mr. Sandman", which was released in 1958.
  • Correction: When Marty McFly heard "Mr. Sandman" in Hill Valley in 1955, it was not a "goof" The first version of the song was released in 1954. - Jim

• In the scene where Doc sends the dog into the future to the dogs perspective there is no future version of its self but when Marty goes it to the future late in the movie there is an adult version of him self, in fact if he would have never grown up if would have went 30 years into the future it would have been as if he would have disappeared for 30 years.
  • Correction: WHAT? Marty never saw his adult self in the first movie. He didn't see his adult self til the sequel. The Dog was not sent there as a way of seeing his other version. He was just sent there to make a point and to see how it worked. - ShaneOMac
    • Correction: The first entry is correct, it is a mistake. The first entry meant to say the sequel, not later in the movie. Einstein disappeared for one minute as Marty should have disappeared for 30 years in BTTF2. To be consistent there should have been either 2 Martys and 2 Einsteins or they both should have disappeared. It does not matter why the dog was sent into the future. Time travel would not analyze intent. - yarballs
  • Correction: The reason the dog dissapears is because Einstein never goes back the one minute. He only goes forward. If Marty had gone forward 30 years and stayed there, his older self would eventually have dissapeared like Marty almost did in 1955. But since Marty does go back to 1985 to get old at the end of III, he would show up as his older self. - Grayden

• In the end of the movie when George and Lorraine are talking to Marty after the school dance, George takes of his coat to put on Lorraine, but in the next scene George is holding his coat over his shoulder and Lorraine still has the coat over her. - Y2K
  • Correction: George Mcfly does hand Lorraine her jacket and still have one over his shoulder but it is his jacket, as he first removes them from his shoulder he separates the two jackets (both are on his shoulder) and hands Lorraine's jacket to her and keeps his over his shoulder! - Fat_boz

• Towards the end of the movie when Marty gives Doc the letter about his future, Doc rips it up because he doesn't want to know what will happen to him in the future. But in the end when Marty goes back to his regular time, Doc pulls the letter out of his jacket and it isn't torn anymore. - Mandy
  • Correction: Actually if you look close enough, you can see the page has been taped or otherwise reattached. - Morgaine Le Fey

• Remember the chart the Doc shows Marty on the blackboard in the alternate 1985? It shows how the timeline split in 1955, so the can't go forward from where they are, because they'll end up in the *alternate* 2015. If that's the case, how come they went backward in time from the "original" 2015 and ended up in the *alternate* 1985!? - tom
  • Correction: Tom, actually in Back to the Future 2, Doc and Marty never go from 2015 to 1985 until after they have obtained the Grey's Sports Almanac. They travel from 2015 to "alternate" 1985. When they realize what has happened they travel from "alternate" 1985 to 1955, to intercept older Biff from giving the almanac to younger Biff. After they have succeeded, they travel to 1985. - Brad
    • Correction: Brad, they go from 2015 where unbeknownst to them, Old Biff has stolen the Almanac. Biff has left 1955 before the time line split, so gets back to "real" 2015. Yet when Marty and the Doc go "home" (believing their trip to 2015 to have been a success), they (impossibly) go back to the alternate 1985. Draw the diagram for yourself and you'll see. - tom
  • Addition: Tom, have you seen the deleted scenes on the DVD? It seems they tried to justify your goof by showing Biff arrive in 2015, and get "erased from existence", but he never would have made it to that point in the first place. I guess they figured putting that scene in the movie would be like setting a table in a burning house ;) - Cwitapher

• In the movie Back to the Future, Marty and Doc know when the lightning will strike the clock tower because it tells them the exact minute in the flier Marty received in 1985, thus allowing them to time everything exactly to send him back to the future. I'm shocked that none of you have thought of this, but there are 60 seconds in a minute. To know exactly when to have the time machine in contact with the electrified wire at 85 mph, they would have to know which second of that minute the lightning struck. Otherwise, Marty could have been 2 seconds early, 48 seconds late, whatever. - KNIGHTSHADE
  • Correction: When Doc reads the flyer "Save the clock tower" in the scene where The Doc is trying to figure out how to get Marty back to the future it reads "lightning is gonna strike the clock tower precisely at 10:04 p.m. next Saturday night. Then when that event occurs you see the lightning strike just as the minute hand strikes 10:04 pm. - yarballs
  • Comment: Yes, Doc does say at precisely 10:04, but that STILL doesn't explain how they know the exact second the lightning strikes. - Cwitapher
    • Comment: Exactly at 10:04 means 1 second later than 10:03:59. - Webmaster

Explained Goofs

• In back to the future part II, Marty goes into the future to see himself--but this is paradoxical. He leaves the timeline in 1985, and so, to the rest of us without time machines, Marty has disappeared. Therefore, when he arrives in 2015, he shouldn't be there--should he? He disappeared 30 years ago, a la close encounters of the third kind. While it is possible to back in time to see yourself, it is theoretically impossible to go forward in time to see yourself. - albanyhog
  • Explanation: Marty going into the future isn't paradoxical, since he returns to 1985. He still finishes his timeline into the future. If he didn't return to 1985, it would become a paradox. Just one school of thought on time travel. - Big B
    • Correction: Actually, this is a paradox. Remember when Einstein (Doc's dog) time traveled one minute into the future? Einstein was gone for that minute just like Marty would be gone for those 30 years. The filmmakers admit the plot hole, but it has to be overlooked. BTTF1 ended on a joke, and wasn't intended to be a setup for another film. The studio bigwigs wanted a sequel, so the writers had no choice. (DVD) - Sam
• When Marty throws change on the counter after ordering in the cafe when he firsts gets in town where did he get the money could this have caused a paradox. - Eugene
  • Explanation: There is a sign in the cafe that reads 'coffee 5c'. The U.S. nickel (5c), still has the same design from 1938 to present day so the owner recognized the coin on the table. (The date on the coin is a different matter but who ever looks at the date on the coins?). - Boogeyman