'Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (2023)' is proof that sometimes all you need to make a good documentary is a likeable subject, and there's nobody quite as likeable as Michael J. Fox. His indomitable spirit shines through in every scene, even those depicting the struggles that come with his illness, and his razor sharp wit cuts to the humorous heart of each situation he describes. It's upsetting to see the effects of Parkinson's on one of cinema's most enduring icons, but the picture's honest representation of the disease is equally as important. It's clear that Fox doesn't want anyone's pity, and the picture itself isn't interested in fostering that feeling in its audience. Instead, it wants you to see that Fox is just as charming, just as entertaining, just as gentle and just as full of life as he always has been. His Parkinson's diagnosis wasn't an ending, it was just another chapter. Essentially a companion piece to Fox's various autobiographies, the film is a fairly basic celebrity documentary at its core, providing us with an overview of its star's career and a look into his current lifestyle. It isn't massively insightful, nor surprising to those who have read the aforementioned books, but it is from Fox's perspective and that's what really matters. Unlike so many others of its kind, it tells its tale from the inside. It isn't interested in what others think of Michael J. Fox's journey, it's only interested in what Michael J. Fox thinks of his journey. Because of this and its subject's absolute integrity, it's a very wholesome and heartfelt affair. Its use of archive footage is notably considered and - alongside a handful of newly shot recreations - it compliments the various to-camera interviews with its star really well. It's worth mentioning, too, that Fox is the only person given the to-camera treatment, which is yet another signifier that the affair is intended as a true (or as close to it as possible) representation of its lead's life that allows him to tell his story his own way. It doesn't want any gossip or contrasting points of view, it doesn't want to eulogise the career of someone who's still alive or have others tell his tale for him, it doesn't need to remain objective because its very being is predicated on it being as subjective as possible. It's a portrait of a person unwilling to let his circumstances stop him from being the best version of himself he can be, a cinematic icon who didn't disappear when life dealt him a bad hand and people began to tell him how the rest of his days would play out. The flick doesn't wash over the dark periods in Fox's life, but it's overwhelmingly positive on the whole. By the time it reaches its uncharacteristically poignant final shot, it may not have conveyed any real theming or challenged your expectations, but it should have left you with a tear in your eye, a smile on your face and an unwavering admiration for the man who went back to the future.
