06 | June | 2015 | Clintington on Film

You don’t realize until way later that you have discovered a movie star for the first time. There were many not yet discovered in this film that would be discovered later. The person I remember wanting to see more of, was Nic Cage.

Don’t get me wrong. I had seen Cage perform in other movies that I loved him in (briefly in “Rumble Fish” and again briefly in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High“), but after watching “Peggy Sue Got Married” I wanted to see even more.

To boot, Kathleen Turner was in it. My God…I loved her.

I’ll get to that, just give me a sec to talk about my man-crush on young Nic…

His voice inflection alone in this movie is worth a viewing. He is also a key component in a “doo wop” group that features an extremely young Jim Carrey who had an opportunity (however brief) to show off his comedic talent in the limited amount of time he has on screen. If you decide to take a viewing, watch for him. Nic, Jim, and the other guys CAN really sing; quite impressive. I feel that this was that early role that Nic Cage took advantage of and put himself ALL IN and showed what he “wanted” to do as opposed to what he “could” do. It didn’t hurt that his uncle was the director.

At the end of the day, the story is remarkable and inventive.

At her 20 year reunion, Peggy Sue (Turner–obviously) faints and wakes up in her old life back in high school. We know very little about her current circumstances–only that her marriage to her high school sweetheart Charlie (Cage–again, obviously) is over and ended on very heartbreaking terms–all of which we piece together with subtle bits of dialogue from conversations she has with her daughter (played by a yet to be discovered Helen Hunt–there’s more where that came from).

Peggy Sue obviously remembers everything of her future now and wants to make major changes to her life based on what she has learned.

Who the hell wouldn’t want to do this? I have yet to meet anyone that wouldn’t…that whole, “Youth is wasted on the youth” notion.

I remember learning so much about the culture that Peggy Sue (and my mom) grew up in. There are very many 1960s pop culture references. Peggy Sue would say something, I’d ask mom to pause it and explain. She did. It was a lot of fun, not just to experience a great story, but to learn about the times that my mom grew up was interesting and exciting for me too.

Watching Cage’s Charlie do an emotional tango with Turner’s Peggy Sue is entertaining on a comedic level, while it builds into a very dramatic waltz when the stakes are at their highest toward the climax of the film.

Definitely worth a viewing, and thankfully, Charlie never took Peggy up on her offer to sing “She Loves You” for the first time. The “Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs,” can continue to be as timeless as they are now.

That last little bit kind of dares you to watch this movie. I hope you catch the reference. It’s by far my favorite 1960s pop culture mention in the movie and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget it.

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I like to call this one “Big-Lite” even if that is a little mean.

A family movie that my parents watched when they were younger and then my siblings and I watched when we were kids was the original “Freaky Friday” with Barbara Harris and a very young Jodie Foster. This was the original. Had this concept been made before this one, I haven’t heard about it and don’t care to. This premise has spawned at least a dozen more other films of the like, including the recent (and terrible) “The Change-Up.”

I feel that “Vice Versa” surpasses “Freaky Friday” in the overall entertainment department.

Judge Reinhold is one of the most enjoyable comedic actors I watched growing up. No one I know can make the large and hilarious facial expressions that he can–without saying a word–and make people laugh-out-loud like he could. I loved him in both “Beverly Hills Cop” movies (I know there was a third one, I don’t count it), “Ruthless People” was good when he was on screen, and his guest appearance on “Seinfeld” as the boyfriend of Elaine who was obsessed with being with Jerry’s parents was one-of-a-kind (he received an Emmy nomination).

“Vice Versa” is Reinhold at his best. I feel that “the sell” for movies like this, is having the actors create such distinct characteristics when they are in “their own skin” that when you see them portray their counter-part…it is believable. I feel that Reinhold and Fred Savage did a great job communicating off screen about their approaches–and it shows very well on screen.

Reinhold has a child-like joy in his eye at each moment after the “change” and he never waivers from it. Savage needs to be given credit as well for creating an “adult” child that reminds me of Spok in a way. This comes out in a scene where he is being bullied by kids at school and tries to use “logic” as a shield. It doesn’t work out.

I have many favorite scenes in this film, most of them involving Reinhold. I think my favorite is when Reinhold gets his revenge on the bullies at school. It’s not what you might expect, but the punishment exceeds their past crimes and gives us a great laugh. Watching his elation in the hallway after doling out their penance is electric and those of us that were bullied (everyone) wishes they could do the same.

At the end of the day, this is a family movie for all ages and a father and son learn how to truly respect and enjoy each other on this journey that they take together.

I don’t know anything about Judge Reinhold the person. We always hear stories about Tom Hanks and how wonderful a person he is and that he is friendly. I want to believe the same about Judge Reinhold. In the interviews that I have scene, and the film choices that he has made, he seems like a person that would have a lot of great stories to tell on “game nights” with a cold beer in his hand. I want to keep that impression of him in my mind and “Vice Versa” has a lot to do with that.

Who knows, maybe one day we’ll be able to play horseshoes, and he can tell us about being noticed by some fans in the airport as the guy who was “jerking off.”