Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Preamble
Class Reunions - Bah!. I have refused to go to any of mine. I think that they are icky, gross, and pretentious. With that said, I should not like this movie, but I do. Why? Because the reunion is just a gateway to a bigger thing - time travel.

How many of us have thought that going back in time with the knowledge we possess today would it be super neato? Me! Me! Me!

The Plot
Peggy Sue Keltcher Bodel (Kathleen Turner) attends her 25th year class reunion. Recently split from her high school sweetheart (Nicholas Cage), she's an emotional basketcase. She dismisses her marriage to that familiar excuse - we were too young and we started blaming each other for what we missed. Her misery is overshadowed by the fact that she's just been elected queen of the reunion. After accepting her crown, Peggy Sue collapses.

She wakes up, transported back 25 years to her senior year of high school only, with the knowledge that she possesses today.

Oh no, she thinks! I'm not going to make the same mistakes I made 25 years ago. What mistakes were those? For starters, Peggy Sue got pregnant on her 18th birthday and she and Charlie married immediately. Charlie was unable to pursue his dream - a career in music. And thus begins the cycle for lots of blame. This time around, she wants no part of that circle.

As Peggy Sue attempts to fit back into the life that she had 25 years ago, she is overwhelmed by the emotion of past relationships.

She realizes how beautiful her mother (Barbara Harris) was, how much she regrets not being closer to her sister Nancy (Sofia Coppola), and how much she took her grandparents for granted.

After the initial shock wears off, Peggy Sue decides to take advantage of her second chance at life. Every one around her, including Charlie, is confused by her new found independence.

One of the things that Peggy Sue decides to do is to get involved with the renegade track-running beatnik, Michael Fitzsimmons (Kevin J. O'Connor). She's attracted to this handsome boy mostly because of his poetic edge. Oh, and the motorcycle is a bonus too!

Although that relationship doesn't end up leading to happily ever after, Peggy Sue isn't bothered by this. After all, anything is better than being with Charlie.

On her 18th birthday, she attempts to get back to 1985 where she left off. Through a series of events, she and Charlie meet up and well - will she or won't she? Watch the movie to find out!

Oh, Just What I Think, That's All
This is a classic 80's movie. You know the type where you watch a bazillion times in reruns (think Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Sixteen Candles). It's not rocket science. The plot, thought of as very similar to Back to the Future didn't break any new ground. This was a movie about relationships or as I like to call it, a chick-flick.

There are a couple of scenes where I get caught up in the emotion. One is when Peggy Sue sees her sister Nancy for the first time. At the time this movie came out, my sister and I were not close. I felt my heart tug and the tears well up in my eyes.

Another scene that had me going was when Peggy Sue answered the telephone. On the other end was her grandmother. She was so overwhelmed by the fact that her grandmother was still alive (25 years earlier), that she couldn't say a word.

I had only one major bone to pick with the writing. The last 10-15 minutes were rushed and seemed to come out of left field. Peggy Sue seemed to decide her next steps in life in like 30 seconds. It was like WHOA!!!!. I wonder if a lot of cuts were made based on someone's directive (hello, Francis Ford Coppola?) or if the editors of this movie were just stupid people.

At this point in time, I had not seen any of the major players in other movies. (Collective gasp heard from the crowd.)

Kathleen Turner had me totally believing that she was experiencing both the emotions of an 18 and 42 year old. She was a pragmatic chick and I have an appreciation for pragmatic chicks. I felt that Nicholas Cage's role was icky - moreso him than the character. Kathleen did a great job at making the relationship believable. I read somewhere that this movie was made for Debra Winger (where is she now Debra Winger????), but I couldn't see anyone else but Kathleen playing Peggy Sue.

I really enjoyed the pairing of Catherine Hicks and Jim Carrey. As Carol and Walter, they sizzled. Oh, I guess I did see Catherine in something else before this :).

I'm sad to report that I-can't-act-my-way-out-of-a-paperbag Helen Hunt plays Kathleen Turner's daughter. Luckily, her dialogue fits on one page :).

Although I haven't seen many of Mr. Coppola's movies (another gasp heard from the crowd) it appears that he has a soft spot for relationship oriented movies. I had heard that he was the third director finally locked into this movie. I'm sure he took it because he got to cast his daughter and nephew :).

Why You'll Like This
Sometimes, we get so busy with our day to day life that we forget about what matters most in this world - not that front row NSYNC ticket, not that new BMW, and not that cool lookin' outfit. It's all about the relationships baby. When you leave this materialistic world, you should take with you, the satisfaction that you gave and received a lotta love.

Alright, I'm off my soap box :).

Final Thoughts
The story was fine. The acting was fine. The directing was fine. It was a fine movie. The end.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older