Review of Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) by Alison O — 06 May 2005

Best in Show: Kathleen Turner.

One for the future: Jim Carrey.

Stand-out scene: Algebra test.

Brainer or no-brainer: Brainer.

Stands up to one viewing or repeated?: Repeated.

DVD commentary any good?: n/a.

TV.

A pastel-coloured 80s classic this rode on the wave created by Back to the Future a year prior to its release. Under the helmsmanship of Francis Ford Coppola the script is a real doozer and there's plenty to appreciate about its homespun charm. Grease meets Back to the Future without the main players breaking into song, Kathleen Turner stars as the eponymous character, who on the verge of splitting up with her cheating husband Charlie (Nicolas Cage) attends a high school reunion. Having been crowned Queen of the 'prom', she swoons on stage and awakes back in her schooldays when she and Charlie were just sweethearts. With the benefit of hindsight, Peggy Sue casts her gladeye elsewhere, honing in on unwashed beat poet Richard. However it dawns on her that no Charlie also means no son or daughter (an early role for Helen Hunt). With early appearances from Jim Carrey, Sofia Coppola and Joan Allen this is a bit of a spot-the-star exercise, a journey made all the better by the interesting, if sometimes overly-whimsical story. The Fifties soundtrack evokes Stand by Me and Kathleen Turner makes for a strong central character. A treat.