Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
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A woman on the verge of divorce is mysteriously transported back to her senior year of high school in 1960.
The story
In 1985, Peggy Sue Bodell attends her 25-year high school reunion with her daughter, Beth, while her husband Charlie is absent due to their recent separation caused by his infidelity. During the reunion, Peggy Sue is crowned 'queen' alongside Richard Norvik, a former class geek turned billionaire inventor. Overwhelmed by the moment, she faints and awakens in 1960, during her senior year of high school. Confused, she attempts to navigate her past, breaks up with Charlie, and befriends Richard to understand her situation, while also discovering a connection with an artsy loner named Michael Fitzsimmons.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1985, Peggy Sue Bodell attends her 25-year high school reunion with her daughter, Beth. Her husband, Charlie, is absent due to their separation following his infidelity. During the event, Peggy Sue is crowned queen alongside Richard Norvik, a billionaire inventor. She faints and wakes up in 1960, during her senior year of high school. She decides to act as if nothing is wrong but breaks up with Charlie. She befriends Richard, who eventually believes her stories about the future. Peggy Sue also spends time with Michael Fitzsimmons, an artsy loner, and they have a romantic encounter. After a series of events where she realizes Charlie's potential as a singer and Richard's sincerity, she decides to stop trying to change the past. She visits her grandparents, where her grandfather performs a Masonic ritual to return her to 1985. She returns to the present, where Charlie, now regretful, proposes to her. After seeing baby pictures in his locket, she realizes they still love each other and accepts his proposal, deciding she would make the same life choices again.
- First release year
- 1986
- Runtime (minutes)
- 103
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Writers
- Jerry Leichtling · writer; Arlene Sarner · writer
- Cast and characters
- Kathleen Turner · Peggy Sue Bodell; Nicolas Cage · Charlie; Barry Miller; Catherine Hicks; Sofia Coppola · Nancy
- Genres
- fantasy; comedy; drama
- Themes
- nostalgia; time travel; marriage; regret
- Tone and mood
- fantasy; romantic; nostalgic
- Premise and plot tags
- time travel; high school; class reunion; divorce
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1959 song by Buddy Holly
- Reception
- The film was a box office success and received positive reviews from critics. It was also featured on Siskel and Ebert's best of 1986 lists and ranked No. 34 on Entertainment Weekly's list of '50 Best High School Movies'.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 88% · review count: 32; Metacritic · score: 75 · scale: 100 · review count: 15
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Actress (Turner) · 1986 · Nomination; Academy Award · Best Cinematography · 1986 · Nomination; Academy Award · Best Costume Design · 1986 · Nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Actress – Musical or Comedy (Turner) · 1986 · Nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Picture – Musical or Comedy · 1986 · Nomination; National Board of Review Award · Best Actress · 1986 · Win
- Production trivia
- The title and main character's name refer to a 1959 Buddy Holly song.; The film was originally intended to star Debra Winger and be directed by Jonathan Demme.; Nicolas Cage agreed to the role only if he could play it in an over-the-top manner.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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