Peggy Sue Got Married Reviews

A bittersweet cross between OUR TOWN and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED tells the poignant story of Peggy Sue Bodell (Kathleen Turner). She's a 43-year-old housewife on the verge of a divorce from Charlie (Nicholas Cage), an obnoxious philanderer who is locally famous for his tacky TV commercials for his retail appliance business. Peggy Sue squeezes into her old prom dress and goes to her 25th high school reunion to meet all her old friends from James Buchanan High. Subsequently named queen of the reunion, she ascends the podium to accept her crown, and passes out. Tossed into a time warp, she awakens in 1960, a 43-year-old consciousness in an ostensibly 17-year-old body. This feat requires a suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience but Turner pulls it off admirably. The film asks a powerful question: If we had a chance to go back and do it all again, would we do it the same way? Or would we rewrite our lives to create a new outcome? Released the year after BACK TO THE FUTURE, there were inevitable comparisons. However, PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED is a more grown up and fatalistic film (even if it is ultimately inferior) that eschews cartoonish exaggeration for a more realistic approach to its subject matter. The film features good acting from almost everyone, the one notable exception being the annoying Cage who adopts a grating constricted voice for the role. The movie has many lovely moments and just as many dead spots, but its strengths make this atypical film from Francis Coppola a worthwhile viewing experience.