Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

Francis Ford Coppola's passable 1986 comedy stars Kathleen Turner as an unhappy, middle-aged woman who goes back in time to her high school years and meets her future husband (Nicolas Cage) all over again. A lightweight entry from Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now), the film has some clever, backward-looking jokes (Turner's character laughs incredulously when someone turns up with a brand-new Edsel); and the lead actress does bring intelligence and searching emotions to her role. Cage (Coppola's nephew), who specialized in these dumb-guy roles back then (see Raising Arizona), is in sharp, raw form. Worth a visit, but don't expect to be bowled over this time by the legendary director. The DVD release has optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, theatrical trailer, optional Spanish soundtrack and optional Spanish and French subtitles. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com essential video

 Oh, Peggy Sue
Ok, let me start off by saying that I definately feel that Peggy Sue Got Married is your classic "chick flick". It has all the elements that women love, and men can't understand.

Peggy Sue is divorced from her high school sweetheart Charlie, and is very unhappy, but finds herself going with her daughter to her high school reunion anyways. She faints and when she wakes up she is back in high school in 1960!

She keeps trying to break up with Charlie, since she knows how their future ends up; but Charlie refuses (how romantic).

All in all she remembers why it was that she loved Charlie, and realizes that no matter what they are destined to be together. When she returns to the present Charlie is there and apologizes for everything they have been through and wants to try to work things out.

This is one of the best endings to a movie. Her going back in time didn't change anything, but made her realize that she and Charlie belong together. It doesn't erase everything they have gone through, but when she wakes up she is ready to try again, as is Charlie. It didn't magically erase their life and trials and create some fake happy-go-lucky, corny ending... but gave a (somewhat..) realistic ending.

An excellent, excellent movie!!

March 19, 2008

 A Time Travel Romance
This is one of the very best things I have ever seen Kathleen Turner and Nicholas Cage in. Peggy Sue Got Married is a romantic time traveling twist on that point in all of our lives when we have one of those "if only I knew then what I know now" moments. In Peggy Sue's case, that second chance happens at her high school reunion. Can she change things? Is her fate out of her hands? Watch this charming, funny and poignant little movie to find out. And the mucic is really good, too. February 5, 2008

 "I Have Too Many Unresolved Relationships"
Peggy Sue (Kathleen Turner) is facing the prospect of her 25th high school reunion. Making it even worse, she and her husband, high school sweetheart Charlie Bodell (Nicolas Cage) are in the middle of a divorce because Peggy Sue has finally gotten tired of his affairs. And so she shows up with her daughter Beth (Helen Hunt).

Things are actually going well until Charlie shows up. Then Peggy Sue wins homecoming queen. It's all too much for her, and she faints.

When she comes too, Peggy Sue finds herself back in 1960. She's eighteen again and reliving the last few months of high school. Between panic attacks about what this could mean, she tries to grasp her second chance at her life. Can she avoid the last 25 years of pain? Does she really want to?

The movie walks a fine line between comedy and drama and never quite seems to strike the right balance. There are some very funny bits, but those just make the drama seem more over the top and over wrought. And the comedy is stuff we've seen done elsewhere better many other times.

The cast features a number of early performances from actors better known today. Besides the ones already mentioned, we see Jim Carrey and Joan Allen, for example. Most of the cast is fine. My biggest problem was with Nicolas Cage. For some reason, he gives Charlie a weird nasally voice. Frankly, it makes me wonder what Peggy Sue ever saw in him. On the plus side, he gets to show off his excellent singing voice.

Finally, there's the story. It works. But it is left too open ended. That's probably caused by an ending that is way too abrupt to deal with everything brought up. It asks all kinds of questions, but the answers are thrown at us so fast it doesn't really explain how the characters arrived at them. As a result, the ending goes from being open ended to unsatisfactory.

The movie isn't bad, but it's really not good either. It's certainly fun watching if you are a fan of the current work of this young cast. But if you haven't seen it, you haven't really missed much, either. January 21, 2008

 Perfect for an afternoon alone
I saw this trailer advertised on the Tootsie DVD, so just had to see it, as it reminded me a lot of some aspects of Back To The Future. I barely recognised Kathleen Turner, she's changed a lot in 20 years - but then again, I only really know her as Jessica Rabbit's voice, and Chandler's dad in Friends. (A woman playing a man dressed as a woman!)

There's a few hilarious characters in this, listen to Nicolas Cage's voice - what a horrible voice it is, but apparently he based it on something else. But it's still horrible to listen to. (The hair's dodgy too!) Helen Hunt appears in a tiny role, playing Peggy Sue's daughter, although she's only 9 years younger than Kathleen Turner! Also look out for an incredibly young Jim Carrey, stealing every scene with his face pulling!

The story is all about a girl called Peggy Sue, is going through a divorce from her childhood sweetheart, and nervous about going to her high school reunion. When she gets to her high school reunion, with her daughter as her 'date' she gets made the Queen, and faints. When she comes to, she's gone back in time by twenty five years. Back to her high school sweetheart, with even dodgier hair (!), and all her old friends. The film gets pretty basic from here on in, it's quite predictable what happens to her.

Apart from that, it's a little gem of a film. More could have been done with it, but it's an hour and a half, and it's the perfect way to spend an afternoon. It's enjoyable, no thinking is required, and Jim Carrey is hilarious!!! Pick this up for cheap, and enjoy it. But you could also watch Back To The Future, which is better still! January 20, 2008

 An instant classic!
Peggy Sue Got Married starring Kathleen Turner is a film I absolutely loved as a young girl. Turner is flawless and so vulnerable as the title character, no one else could have pulled off such a real and touching performance. Nicholas Cage is superb as well, his voice is so funny in this one, you have to hear to believe it. This sweet romantic drama was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and look for his real-life daughter Sofia Coppola as Turner's younger sister. This film is a must-have, you will enjoy it. November 10, 2007

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