Michael J. Fox Appeared In This Overlooked But Critically Acclaimed Time-Travel Movie

Michael J. Fox is one of the coolest people among the Hollywood greats. He's gracious, funny as hell, and amusingly self-aware. If it weren't for the terrible illness that he endures with admirable dignity and superhuman strength, he'd probably be in a lot more contemporary movies and TV shows, since people can barely resist his charm on screen. But even with his condition, he does what he can, and he's almost always down to appear in projects that draw on some of his biggest and most popular roles, like the iconic Marty McFly in "Back to the Future" (which was banned in China). And that's exactly what he did for Stefon Bristol's 2019 directorial feature debut, "See You Yesterday," a family-friendly Netflix original.

The movie follows C.J. Walker (Eden Duncan-Smith), an ambitious, exceptionally bright student and her bestie, Bash (Dante Crichlow), as they work to build a time machine. After initial failures, the duo succeeds in creating a time-hopper, which they first use to travel back 24 hours. What they don't see coming is that C.J.'s brother Calvin (Astro) gets killed in a tragic incident after leaving a party when two police officers mistake him and his friends with some thieves and shoot him dead. Devastated, C.J. decides to use the time machine to save his brother, damning the potential ramifications of what changing the past may bring to her and her loved ones' lives.

Fox pops up in a short cameo in the sci-fi as C.J. and Bash's science teacher, Mr. Lockhart, delivering a brief, hypothetical lecture about the dangers of time travel, asking C.J. what she'd do with such grand power. It's a cute bit that evokes McFly and the troubles he went through hopping back and forth in time decades ago.

Time travel, especially in movies, is one of those tropes that's easy to pick on, criticize, and debate infinitely. There's almost always a plot hole, an odd inconsistency, or a weird character decision that can rub viewers the wrong way, often leaving them disappointed or unsatisfied. Interestingly, "See You Yesterday" was a hit with most critics (currently holding a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), while audiences hated it (hence the 38% popcornmeter).

Some called it one of the worst time-travel movies they've ever seen; some said it plays like a dated after-school special. Some couldn't believe Spike Lee produced it, or that Michael J. Fox agreed to appear in it. Regardless of which opinions you side with, the one thing that most people should agree on is that Fox is an absolute class act. He did Bristol a solid by lending his name to his debut and giving the kids a chance to meet and work with a bona fide legend and movie star early in their careers. That sort of kindness and generosity should still count for something.