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Peggy Sue Got Married Movie Review

Peggy Sue Got Married is a 1986 fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Kathleen Turner and Nicolas Cage. It’s a very strange, moving flick.

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“I am a grown woman with a lifetime

of experience that you can’t understand.

Yeah, girls mature faster than guys“

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At a high school reunion, a housewife on the brink of a divorce is thrust back in time to her senior year. She tries to change the moments that caused her unhappiness but complicates things further. A time travel film at its core, this rom-com is distinguished from other such tales with the more intimate approach to storytelling. It’s this deep, powerful character study that works thanks to its main actress and protagonist.

Kathleen Turner has always been good, but this is a rare role that asked more from her, and she ended up delivering in spades. Garnering a much-deserved Oscar nod, Turner’s performance here is raw, commanding and very nuanced. She is sweet and charming, but also flawed. She’s also quite funny in subtle, but memorable comedic moments interspersed throughout.

The film preaches strong family values, thus it would never be made today, but its values remain timeless. Yes, she could have had a different life, but the love that two share is so powerful that it ultimately seals their faith shut. While the infidelity subplot should have been handled better, the movie was wise enough to make a point that sometimes what seems like a life mistake can turn into a positive over time.

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As for the other characters, this is where the flick stumbled in my eyes. Yes, Turner’s Peggy is amazing. She is one of the best protagonists in an 80s film in my opinion. However, her female friends are thoroughly underdeveloped while the male characters were walking stereotypes. You got the geek who becomes successful, you got the weirdo poet and you got the hopelessly romantic buffoon.

All these were just archetypes and a more honest, thoughtful portrayal of the men would have made the film more complex and more believable. This way, it was overly 80s in its coming-of-age trappings. Nicolas Cage was the person who deserves the most scrutiny here. Coppola casting him reeked of nepotism and Cage’s performance is both annoying and over-the-top. His nasal voice bothered Turner so much, which is understandable as it is quite buffoonish.

Again, I loved their relationship, but the character simply felt overly unrealistic. The same goes for other boys with even the added Jim Carrey being ridiculously theatrical and sticking out like a sore thumb. The dialogue is actually stupendous. I just wish that the characters were better handled.

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Peggy Sue Got Married is phenomenally shot, very well edited and strongly directed by Francis Ford Coppola. This is his most atypical, and thus most likable directorial effort. The fantastical elements were beautifully handled and the somewhat ambiguous ending was wonderful. The mixing of the dramatic and the comedic tones worked effortlessly and the film’s message is one that is still resonant after all these decades.