Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

William Butler Yeats:

When You Are Old

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,

And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true,

But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you,

And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,

Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled

And paced upon the mountains overhead

And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

That comes from a scene where Peggy Sue (Kathleen Turner) is talking to a poet Michael Fitzsimmons (Kevin J. O'Connor) while she is visiting her high school years. The scene is one of my favorite movie scenes ever and I feel that the movie itself is a timeless piece of cinema. Look out for performances from Jim Carrey, Nicholas Cage, Hellen Hunt, and a young Sofia Copola (director of Lost in Translation, Virgin Suicides) as Peggy's bratty kid sister (is there another kind?) Great musical score. And this is the one flick guranteed to make me tear up everytime.

I consider Francis Coppola as one of the five best directors of the last 30 years. Even in his less successful movies, there is still the sparkle of the genius. And ONE FROM THE HEART which was a huge flop, critical and popular, is, in my opinion, a masterpiece, along with APOCALYPSE NOW and THE GODFATHER, part I, II and III.

Now why would Francis Coppola be interested in the screenplay of PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED, a light and nostalgic comedy about life and its disenchantments ? Perhaps the subject touched him because of the recent fall of Zoetrope Studios which, at this time, was falling apart with Coppola's dreams and money. In this perspective, PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED is a formidable statement of a bleeding director : " If I could live again now, knowing what I know, I won't change a thing ! ".

Speaking of perspective, let's observe that there aren't any mirrors in the real world of Peggy Sue, Coppola choosing to shoot the back of another actress when Kathleen Turner faces her mirror. This creates an uneasiness in the audience because we have the impression that Peggy Sue will jump out of the mirror. Great idea of an always innovative director.

You will have understood that PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED is a movie you can watch several times and still discover another little pearl hidden in it. That's cinema. And I like it this way.

A DVD for your library.

Buy Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) Now

First, I can't believe how shallow, misinformed, obtuse and insensitive Tom Keogh's editorial review is.

"Peggy Sue Got Married" is a wonderful, funny, heartfelt and somewhat haunting story about how the ghosts of high school affect us throughout our lives.

Kathleen Turner's performance, as a woman who time-travels back to her last year of high school, is nothing short of a brilliant. It's a physical marvel the way Turner transforms, through her subtle facial gestures and mannerisms, back into the body of a teenager. Faced with the awesome possibility of being able to relive high school, knowing what she knows now, Peggy Sue behaves like anyone would given the chance. What would you say to your grandmother, now dead? What about the boy you're going to marry, and who you later divorce?

The movie is very touching, and also very funny, and is definitely the last great film that Francis Ford Coppola made. Coppola was, by 1986, in a very tumultuous period in his career wasting his time developing cinematic technology and experimental narratives that derailed his career. With "Peggy Sue Got Married," Coppola had a great story, a great actress, and he simply decided to make a great film.

"Peggy Sue Got Married" is one of the best films of mid-1980s.

Read Best Reviews of Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) Here

This an excellent film to watch primarily bacause all the cast members, including Coppola's daughter who plays Sue's sister in the movie, did a super job of acting their parts. I understand that Miss Kathleen Turner did not want Mr. Cage to be her co-star; however, Coppola wisely insisted that his nephew play the roll Some reviews are critical of Mr. Cage's performance; on the contrary, he does capture the part of that type of kid. I knew several fellas like him when I went to high school in the 40's. With the exception of one scene in which Miss Turner sexually get's involved with the student poet, the entire family can watch the film without being embarrassed. I feel Peggy Sue Got Married will be appreciated in the future like many of us now appreciate "It Happened One Night" with Cable and Colbert. "It Happened One Night," with Cable and Colbert.

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Peggy Sue is a bored, unhappy middle-aged mother whose marriage to Charlie Bodell, her childhood sweetheart, is on the rocks. At a high school reunion Peggy Sue collapses and wakes to find she has somehow been transported back to her teen years. As she gets over the initial shock she realises she has the chance to relive her life and maybe make some drastic changes. She also realises she can change the lives of those around her, such as when she encourages one class mate to invent panty-hose and encourages others to invest in things she knows will succeed in the future. Of course those around Peggy Sue are confused by her newly serious nature, particularly Charlie who cannot understand why she is so cool toward him.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the film stars Nicholas Cage as Charlie and Kathleen Turner as Peggy Sue, and watch out for a very young Jim Carrey as Walter, a friend of the young couple. Although the lead actors play their parts well, and try to be believable as teenagers, the fact that they both look far to old to be teens does detract from the film a little. That aside, this is a heart-warming film with some very witty moments. It will make you laugh and cry in equal amounts and, although it looks a little dated now, it is still worth a look.

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