Back to the Future Screenwriter's Answer to Infamous Plot Hole

Spoilers ahead for Back to the Future, which you really should have seen by now since it turns 35 this year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] An old fan debate about Back to the Future and one of its perceived plot holes was resuscitated via Twitter this week, a viral sensation which drew BTTF screenwriter Bob Gale into the debate to settle the question himself. The debate -- reignited by the trending list "5 Perfect Movies" -- was about why Marty McFly's parents didn't recognize him as Calvin Klein, the teen who engineered their romance back in the '50s, when he returned home to the 1980s. Surely, George and Lorraine McFly would recognize their son Marty as their high school acquaintance Calvin? Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn joined the debate to tweet: "Back to the Future SEEMINGLY could be imperfect (why don't Mom and Dad remember Marty?), but I would still argue it's a perfect film because there are reasons why this could conceivably be the case (time protects itself from unraveling, etc). Or maybe I'm in denial. Who knows." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=netflix-spotlight-may-2020&captions=true"] Gunn's tweet spurred his Guardians star Chris Pratt to suggest, "Maybe they do remember him tho, not as Marty, as Calvin. When Marty returns to present day 1985, it could have been years since his parents would have perhaps originally noted the uncanny resemblance between their son and that kid from high school 20 years previous." Pratt's suggestion turned out to be in line with the reasoning then offered by BTTF screenwriter Bob Gale, who addressed the matter to The Hollywood Reporter. "Bear in mind that George and Lorraine only knew Marty/Calvin for six days when they were 17, and they did not even see him every one of those six days. So, many years later, they still might remember that interesting kid who got them together on their first date," Gale explained. "But I would ask anyone to think back on their own high school days and ask themselves how well they remember a kid who might have been at their school for even a semester. Or someone you went out with just one time," Gale said. "If you had no photo reference, after 25 years, you'd probably have just a hazy recollection." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/02/27/keepin-it-reel-crispin-glover-talks-back-to-the-future"] Gale added that most parents could scroll their high school yearbooks and see kids back then who look like their own kids do now. So does Gale's explanation settle this BTTF debate for you? Let us know in the comments!

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