The Back To The Future Scene That Aged Poorly

"Back to the Future," directed by Robert Zemeckis (who also co-wrote the script with Bob Gale), is one of the most beloved movies of all time. The 1985 film has also been called the best sci-fi movie of all time, though that claim is more dubious. It even contains what is frequently cited as one of the most famous movie quotes out there — "Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads."

If you somehow haven't seen the classic film and need a synopsis, "Back to the Future" follows teenager Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), who accidentally travels back in time when his friend, the eccentric scientist Emmett "Doc" Brown (Christopher Lloyd) reveals he has created a time machine in the form of a DeLorean. Transported back to 1955, Marty finds the younger Doc to get his help getting back to the present day — and, having accidentally messed with the timeline, he must also make sure his parents meet and fall in love like they were supposed to.

It's a brilliant premise — one that is executed almost flawlessly — and the main reason that the film has remained a treasure over the years. However, the movie did come out back in the '80s, so modern audiences may view it a little differently. In fact, there's a least one scene that many viewers nowadays would agree has aged pretty poorly.

As mentioned before, Marty must make sure that his parents, George (Crispin Glover) and Lorraine (Lea Thompson), fall in love, in order to make sure he and his siblings actually exist in the future. This plan involves Marty posing as a teenager of the 1950s to get his parents together, leading to some crazy mixups — most notably, his mother developing a crush on him (yikes).

In one scene, Marty discovers George up in a tree with binoculars, spying on Lorraine as she changes. It's undeniably creepy and unacceptable behavior, and yet, the audience is meant to root for George getting the girl he is spying on. It feels even creepier when you think about the fact that spying on Lorraine without her knowing (and probably never finding out) is what led to them to get together in the first place (in the original timeline). That's right, George and Lorraine's meet-cute occurs when George falls from the tree and is hit by Lorraine's father, leading Lorraine to care for him and get to know him in the process. 

Marty exclaims to himself, "He's a peeping tom," with a note of disdain, indicating that he — and the film — are acknowledging the behavior as verifiably not cute. Still, George's creepiness is never addressed again, George doesn't face any consequences for spying on his future wife; he gets the girl in the end anyway.

Most fans and critics would agree that "Back to the Future" has overall aged quite well, with only a few moments, such as this one, sticking out as a bit anachronistic.