Saturday, August 8, 2009

Guilty Pleasures: PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED



I can't tell you exactly why I decided to pick up this film again. Thinking back, maybe I was in the mood for Nicolas Cage with a goofy voice, maybe to see a little Sofia Coppola, or the fact that an old friend of mine once told me that they can relate to this film. Whatever the reason, I suggest going back in time to see this classic.

"Peggy Sue" was released in 1986 and has an amazing cast. Besides the luminous Kathleen Turner as Peggy Sue, the cast includes Jim Carrey, Joan Allen, Nicolas Cage and a young Helen Hunt. It was also made by a famous director, credited as Francis Coppola (no middle name credit on this one).

The story goes that Peggy Sue is attending her 25 year high school reunion when she ends up fainting and returning to high school, as if she had never left. Armed with the knowledge of her future, she goes about high school with a new attitude- doing things that she always wanted to do and trying to separate herself from her relationship with her high school sweetheart whom she ultimately marries and is so unhappy with, Charlie (played by Cage). You never know if Peggy's actions will actually change her future, perhaps it never really happened when she wakes in the hospital at the end of the film, but a book dedication makes you re-think this scenario.

However far-fetched the story may seem, it is so enjoyable. I simply love how classically it is shot; it is simple and clean. It is always nice to watch a strong female lead and Turner is perfect. She plays Peggy with such gusto that it is hard to see how she ever let herself fall into a bad marriage. She is the one with the power to change her future and she goes about getting exactly what she wants.

This movie is perfect at any time of day, with friends or without. Simply let its power of nostalgia wash over you as you are completely entertained.

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