Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writers:

Jerry Leichtling (writer)
Arlene Sarner (writer)

Release Date:

10 October 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

Plot:

Peggy Sue faints at a Highschool reunion. When she wakes up she finds herself in her own past, just before she finished school.

Plot Keywords:

Male Female Relationship | Sentimental | Stylized | Teen Angst | Reunion

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Kathleen Turner	...	Peggy Sue
Nicolas Cage	...	Charlie Bodell
Barry Miller	...	Richard Norvik
Catherine Hicks	...	Carol Heath
Joan Allen	...	Maddy Nagle
Kevin J. O'Connor	...	Michael Fitzsimmons
Jim Carrey	...	Walter Getz
Lisa Jane Persky	...	Delores Dodge
Lucinda Jenney	...	Rosalie Testa
Wil Shriner	...	Arthur Nagle
Barbara Harris	...	Evelyn Kelcher
Don Murray	...	Jack Kelcher
Sofia Coppola	...	Nancy Kelcher
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Elizabeth Alvorg
Leon Ames	...	Barney Alvorg

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Norway:15 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Petaluma, California, USA

Company:

Delphi V Productions

Trivia:

In the original script, the character of Rosalie (the woman in the wheelchair that Peggy Sue encounters at her high school reunion), was a gymnast in high school who was crippled in an accident. The original script spent a lot of time showing Peggy Sue trying to take advantage of her knowledge of the future: inventing pantyhose, encouraging people to invest in Xerox, and trying to prevent Rosalie from injuring herself.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the beginning of "dream" part of the movie, Charlie's hair is a very light blond. Toward the middle of the movie, it's noticeably darker, then back to the lighter shade toward the end of the dream sequence.

Quotes:

Peggy Sue: I think I had a heart attack and died at the reunion!
Richard Norvik: Well, you look great for a corpse.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Moonlighting: Maddie Hayes Got Married (#4.12)" (1988)

Soundtrack:

Teenager In Love

Charming and amusing, just avoiding being sickly and sweet

It is her high school reunion but Peggy Sue is a bit down about going. She is divorcing her high school sweetheart Charlie (a minor local celebrity) and she knows that the only thing people will ask her is about him. Secretly she knows that, if she could live her life again she would do things differently. When she elected queen of the ball she is emotional and passes out on stage. When she wakes up she finds herself a teenager again, with the chance to do things all over again. Disorientated and confused by this strange occurrence, will Peggy Sue really chose to do things differently or will she come to appreciate the life she has lived? Whenever the man who made The Godfather produces a light little romantic comedy/drama, it is no real surprise that people tend to look down on it in a way that they may not have done if it had been made by someone else. So it is with this film, which is nothing that special but is enjoyable for what it does do. The time travel plot is a real stretch but it just about manages to pull it off by being consistently amusing and rather sweet throughout. It is a shame that it cannot manage to avoid sentimentality but when it does fall into it, it still manages to be amiable enough and not too sickly. The tone is consistently comic, which does help support the film well and I was quite surprised by how this rather sentimental story managed to charm its way into me! Turner is a big part of this happening because she carries off the absurd role with charm and humour. Cage is good, I suppose, but it is hard not to get irritated by his rather nasal delivery. Support is good from Hicks, Allen and several other recognisable faces, including a young Jim Carrey, but the show belongs to Turner and although it isn't a classic performance, it is still charming enough to carry the material.

Overall, if you are adverse to sentimentality then I would suggest that you give this a miss since it is rather sweet and charming, even if it just about manages to avoid being sickly. It is amusing and rather charming – both things I would say about Turner's performance. This just about saves it from being cloying and sickly (although it is close) and I found it to be just the right side of that and came over as enjoyable and quite a pleasant viewing, even if it is nothing that special.