The Nicolas Cage Time Travel Comedy With His Most Outrageous Performance Is Being Forgotten

Peggy Sue Got Married is the story of Peggy Sue Bodell (Kathleen Turner) and her estranged husband Charlie (Nicolas Cage), who are preparing to attend their 25th high school reunion. When Peggy Sue is crowned the queen of the reunion, she has a dizzy spell and faints on stage in front of her former classmates. She wakes up and discovers that she is 17 again and living with her parents

Frantic about finding answers to her apparent time travel, Peggy Sue confides in the school science nerd, Richard Norvik (Barry Miller). A one-night stand with the high school loner, a heartfelt visit to her long-dead grandparents, and multiple options to choose from leave Peggy Sue confused about what course she should plot for herself. As an added complication, Peggy Sue Got Married sees the drama between Turner and Nicolas Cage’s characters reach a tipping point that could drastically change their futures and the very existence of their children.

The film captures 1950s nostalgia in ways similar to other films of the era that chose that iconic time to act as the film’s backdrop. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, consumers were able to romanticize the era of Eisenhower, picket fences, and soda shops through various vehicles that included the sitcom Happy Days and the films Back to the Future, Book of Love, and others. From Kathleen Turner and Nicolas Cage’s hairdos and wardrobes to the cars and home decor, Peggy Sue Got Married works to transport audiences back in time along with its leading actress.

In a sense, Peggy Sue Got Married had some of the tones of Back to the Future if the latter film had transported Marty McFly’s mother back to the days of her evening at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance instead of her son. Some of the actions Peggy Sue commits in her past timeline certainly affect the present that she eventually returns to, though no number of do-overs could possibly cure Nicolas Cage’s Charlie of his penchant for whining.

REVIEW SCORE

Though unique in some ways, Peggy Sue Got Married was made at the tail end of the unwitting time traveler craze, as well as coming in late to films that capitalized on 1950s nostalgia. That being said, both Kathleen Turner and Nicolas Cage give stellar performances, and director Frances Ford Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now) deserves accolades for how he reimagined the 1950s on screen for young audiences. It’s not the director’s greatest contribution to cinema, but its tone and accurate detailing make it a 3.0/5.0-star film.

You can access Nicolas Cage’s performance in Peggy Sue Got Married with Prime, AppleTV, Google Play, and Vudu. Afterward, we suggest checking out the GenreVision podcast and seeing if you agree with the hosts!