Christopher Lloyd Reveals His Favorite ‘Back to the Future’ Film, and Fans Will Be Surprised
Ask a room of movie fans to pick the best film in the ‘Back to the Future’ trilogy and most will reach for the 1985 original. Some will argue for the gadget-heavy sequel, and the finale tends to get left out of the debate. So when the man who played Doc Brown settles the question himself, the answer is bound to stir things up.
Christopher Lloyd, who turned 88 earlier this month, has just published a memoir called ‘In My Own Time’. It arrived on October 27, and he has been talking about it across a round of interviews. One of those chats finally answered the question people have been asking him for years.
Speaking to TODAY, Lloyd named the third film as his favorite of the trilogy. His reason was simple. It’s a western, and he pointed out that “Doc had a romance,” which he said is the only film where he ever had one.
The choice may surprise fans, since by at least one measure it is the least popular film in the trilogy. Its Rotten Tomatoes audience score is 78%, compared with 94% for the original and 85% for ‘Part II’. Critics, however, saw it as an improvement over the second film.
‘Back to the Future Part III’ sends Marty to 1885 to rescue Doc, who has fallen for schoolteacher Clara Clayton, played by Mary Steenburgen. The film was shot back-to-back with the second installment on a $40 million budget and grossed $245 million worldwide in its initial run. By the end, Doc and Clara have two sons named Jules and Verne and a flying, time-traveling train.
The movie also gave Lloyd a milestone, as it included his first on-screen kiss. That helps explain why a character known for frantic energy and wild hair gets such a tender story in the final chapter.
This isn’t a new opinion. Years ago, Lloyd told Complex that ‘Part III’ was his favorite, noting that the first film can never be matched for initial impact but that a western is fun. He pointed to the horseback riding, the work on the steam engine and Doc’s romance with Clara.
In another older interview he said the third film was the one where he had the most fun, and he mentioned the pleasure of working with Steenburgen again. The two reunited in September, 36 years after the film, which gave fans a sweet bit of nostalgia.
Lloyd’s memoir adds a twist to that love. He writes that there is one thing he still regrets about the film, which involves the climactic train sequence. The scene called for Doc to ride his horse up to the back of the speeding locomotive and grab a handle, but Lloyd rode alongside the train and then stopped so professional stuntmen could take over.
He says he will never know whether the stunt would have gone smoothly, but whenever he watches that scene, he still feels a pang that he should have done it. It’s a revealing admission from an actor who clearly enjoyed the film’s physical side.
‘In My Own Time’ covers far more than one trilogy. In the book, Lloyd recounts his upbringing, starry encounters and his struggles with addiction, and he also shares memories of working with famous names. One story involves Princess Diana, who laughed out loud at a gag during the premiere of ‘Back to the Future Part II’, which Lloyd said surprised him.
Those stories show a more reflective side of an actor who is best known for eccentric roles, including Doc Brown and Iggy on ‘Taxi’. During the TODAY interview, he also discussed his legacy and a story about Jack Nicholson helping him on the set of ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’.
For Lloyd, the preference feels less about box office or reviews and more about experience. The third film let him ride horses, work on a steam engine and play Doc in love, which gave the character a softer side. Seen that way, a western romance is a natural favorite.
Which movie gets your vote?
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