Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

Kathleen Turner, Nicolas Cage, Barry Miller and Kevin J.O'Connor lead the cast in this 1980s time travel fantasy from director Francis Ford Coppola, famous for films such as The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. Peggy Sue (Turner) is a woman in her 40s, on the verge of a divorce from her husband Charlie (Cage). At their High School Renunion, things become too much for Peggy Sue when Charlie unexpectedly shows up, and she passes out on stage. When she wakes, she finds herself in the nurse's office at her old school. She soon realises she has been transported back in time to her school days, usually spent with her friends (Including a young Jim Carrey in one of his earliest roles) and Charlie. She has a chance to relive her teenage years. But, knowing how everything will eventually fold out, will she make the same mistakes again, or change her life forever? The performances of the film stand out as the best thing about it, with Kathleen Turner playing her role superbly (And gaining an Oscar nomination). Barry Miller is fantastic as Richard Norvik, a geek who, despite being bullied at school, became very succesful in life. The second time round, Peggy Sue becomes very good friends with him. Despite it being a small role, Jim Carrey still manages to be hilarious as Walter Getz (And what Walter wants......Walter Getz!) especially during the opening scene. Kevin J.O'Connor gives an odd performance as Michael Fitzsimmons. The character is an angry, argumentative type, but has a beautiful poetic side. Whilst O'Connor pulls this off, the question of whether or not he gave a good performance is one to be debated. Nicolas Cage gives the worst performance in the film I felt. Again, whilst he perfectly pulls off the character he's playing, he doesn't leave an impact like other characters. The writing is great, with some fantastically funny moments and other moments that are more heartwarming. I was pleasantly surprised by this film, of course it's not without it's flaws. As I already mentioned, Nicolas Cage lets the film down a bit, as well as other characters being intolerable. My only other problem is that in some places, it feels slow. Overall, I think Peggy Sue Got Married is a fun, feel good 80s film that will make you question: If you could do it all again, would you change everything, or would you give into fate? 4 Stars