Review of Peggy Sue Got Married

The strongest point of this film is undeniably its beautiful haunting theme tune which I went out and bought on cd the moment I heard it. I remember seeing this film in 1986, in Versailles and the outside temperature was -18°C. For this reason, this film is forever associated with cold. I was expecting a far better story and remain smitten with emotion when 1) Peggy Sue hears her grandma's voice on the telephone and almost faints and 2) when she actually travels to see her grandparents, towards the end of the film. These emotional moments apart, and apart from the general idea of travelling back in time which has always excited me, I found the film to be a bit of a disappointment. True, the 1960's dresses and automobiles are fun to watch. But Nicolas Cage's character is absolutely pathetic and annoyed me withing the first fifteen minutes. I don't like the actor at the best of times but in this film it was a nightmare every time I saw him appear. Unfortunate, really, as he is one of the main characters in the film. I also had a slight, though perceivable prejudice against Kathleen Turner as I always remember her as the bitter, evil-faced wife in War of the Roses. So basically none of the 2 main protagonists are my favourites and apart from that there are passages in the film which are frankly chatty and boring. I did enjoy Peggy Sue's short scenes with the scientist when she was speaking of the future but there again I got annoyed when she spent time with some freaked-out left-wing hippy who was even worse to listen to than Nicolas Cage. Only the scenes with her mum and dad provided some relief but they were rather flat, dialogue-wise, and Cage inevitably turns up to spoil things. I thought with such a brilliant idea and brilliant music, what a waste of a film. Also I cannot fathom how Peggy Sue was perceived by her family - was she seen by them as a 20 year old or a 45 year old. And if she was seen as a 20 year old, there is duplication in the time frame which means for each day in the film she lived the same day twice ! It's totally illogical and frustrating for a time travel lover like me. I have watched the film several times since 1986 and do have it on DVD, hoping that each new viewing will make me like it more but alas I always end up liking the same parts plus the music but remaining frustrated with the general body of the film. The only way out of this frustration is to imagine the whole episode as a dream ( dreams don't have to be logical ) and to scrap the time-travel thing completely.