Back to the Future provides a film’s worth of gags based on the significant cultural changes between 1955 and 1985: Chuck Berry vs. heavy metal, ornate Cadillacs vs. sleek DeLoreans, minimalist greasers vs. overly layered preppies. A similar movie today looking back at the nineties would have characters looking vaguely outmoded but not unrecognizable. We don’t watch Friends as a period piece.
