Past, present and future Directors of the caliber of Francis Ford Coppola do not appear on our mortal earth as often as we would like, and viewers should thank Providence itself for the fact that it gave them the opportunity to enjoy the work of an inimitable maestro, every project of which is doomed to something special. Most of us know Coppola for his work on the gangster saga The Godfather, in which the director has invested absolutely all his creative skills, as well as the creation of such well-known films as Apocalypse Now and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. However, in fact, these stories are only a small fraction of what the great director did, which at one time became one of the beacons of the so-called “New Wave” of Hollywood filmmakers. Not afraid to go against the slow studio system, Coppola tried to shoot his paintings without the intrusive supervision of producers, calmly managed modest production budgets and, together with his colleague George Lucas, helped young directors find their true creative path, requiring bold artistic decisions in difficult times. Trying to explore the facets of human feelings and relationships, Coppola always found time to take a break from large-scale pretentious productions and talk to the audience about the painful, understandable to everyone and relevant forever. So, along with “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Today” in the filmography of the master, you can see “Rain People”, “Rogues” and “Fight Fish”. Each of these paintings told about the difficult fate of the heroes, whose life was far from the best way, but by the will of the director they tried to go forward and if they stumbled and filed, they were not afraid to rise, because without movement and perseverance it is impossible to build either their present or future. And although the general audience first of all knows Coppola as a director of pompous and bombastic dramas, he is a much more versatile creative personality, as we are told by his numerous personal works, which also includes Peggy Sue Married, a wonderful romantic story with a mixture of fiction, comedy and a pinch of piercing everyday tragedy.
So, the plot of the film introduces us directly to the culprit of the celebration, and it is Peggy Sue Bodell (Kathleen Turner). An attractive and not stupid woman, despite the fact that she is no longer a girl, continues to catch the admiring glances of men, but if you get to know her more closely, it becomes clear that an indelible sadness penetrated her heart, corroding her soul like acid. Being on the verge of breaking up with her husband Charlie (Nicholas Cage), Peggy does not really know what to do in the future and how to put her life in order. Having limited communication with friends and loved ones, Peggy has actually withdrawn into herself, but she still has to get out of her prison at the request of her daughter (Helen Hunt) and go to her native school to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her class graduation. Coming to meet without Charlie, who also studied with Peggy and her classmates, the heroine thereby causes unwanted interest in her own person, since she frankly did not want to discuss with others personal life, and yet when you want to hide from the attention of others, then on the contrary, you get into the center of attention, which, in fact, happened. Newly chosen by the Queen of the evening, Peggy should receive all the regalia due to her, but at the most crucial moment she faints and suddenly wakes up in the distant 1960s, when she herself was still going to school, and Charlie was the only and unique guy with whom she never wanted to part.
Realizing what was happening, Peggy realized that fate had decided to give her an unexpected gift and it would be simply stupid not to take advantage of the open opportunities. Possessing the mind of a mature woman, the heroine could have fun and make fun of others, again began to run on dates, and not only with Charlie and with experience to give advice to relatives and friends who in the future will commit a lot of stupidities, because there was no one to stop them in time. Enjoying communication with those whom she was previously banally afraid to approach, Peggy notes that life can always be made better and do not be afraid of active actions, because timidity never leads to anything good. At the same time, Peggy falls in love with her only and beloved Charlie, who, despite all the mistakes made in the future together, in fact remains her main love, to go against which will not work. Returning to the past showed Peggy many special moments and gave new unforgettable sensations. Now she is much wiser and able to assess the situation from a completely different angle. It is only important to keep warm in your heart and be able to forgive those who truly deserve it and, in spite of everything, give them warmth and affection, as in the best sensual times.
In his film, Francis Ford Coppola brings eternal human questions to the surface and, with the help of a very unexpected twist with travel from one era to another, shows us the complexity of understanding his present place in personal life history. Peggy Sue had already forgotten how to distinguish the colors of rainbow days, she was sucked into the daily routine, and her relationship with her negligent husband undermined the already suffering psyche with acute mental pain. But if you focus solely on sadness, you slowly kill yourself with your own hands. So Peggy needed a serious shake-up that she couldn’t do in the usual way. Bringing an element of fantasy to the plot, Coppola created a charming, stylish and emotional spectacle, showing the audience that there is always a way out of any current situation, and if it is not visible, then it is better to look for it. Peggy Sue was able to understand and admit her shortcomings, and also managed to get around them, becoming much better. She was also able to rediscover her husband, whom she began to openly hate. Coppola gives Turner and Cage enough time and scenes together so that we can see the sincerity of their feelings and understand that despite all the troubles, they just have to be together. Using a variety of dramatic tools for this from thoughtful conversations to quarrels on elevated notes, the director reveals the whole essence of the relationship of loved ones, from which you can and should draw serious conclusions. Of course, the film can partly be perceived only as a fun adventure in time, but at the same time it gives us just unforgettable emotions, which will be very difficult to forget.
In conclusion, I want to say that Peggy Sue Married is an example of how Francis Ford Coppola deftly and confidently maneuvers in everyday drama, plays with feelings and knows how to draw deep moral conclusions from the situation. This is a personal and at the same time mass film, which must be appreciated and seen its undoubted merits.
10 out of 10