Original artwork, not a still
Wait a minute, Doc, are you trying to tell me that my mother has got the hots for me?
— Back to the Future · 1985
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The film's central awkwardness in one question: Marty has to make his own parents fall in love while his mother is falling for him. Doc's deadpan "Precisely" is half the laugh. People quote it as a gentle cry of disbelief, and the line that follows, "this is heavy", turned into the film's running joke about the 1950s and 1980s misunderstanding each other.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Back to the FutureShow the scene
In Back to the Future (1985), Marty is stuck in 1955 and Doc Brown is helping him get home. They watch his parents-to-be in the diner, where his mother Lorraine ignores George but is plainly taken with Marty. She says she has been worried about him since he ran off, then, passing Doc, calls him a dream boat. Doc works out that she is infatuated with her own son instead of his father, and the family's future is at risk. Marty asks if that is what Doc is telling him, and Doc answers "Precisely".
Sources (2)
- Back to the Future transcript, Back to the Future Wiki1955 diner scene, Doc and Marty on Lorraine's attractionReference checked
- Back to the Future, WikiquoteDialogue section, Doc and Marty exchangeReference checked
Context reviewed
