Travolta/Cage #7: Blow Out (1981)/Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) (with Dan McCoy)

We finally start to play the real hits over on Travolta/Cage this week, as The Flop House’s Dan McCoy joins us to talk about two great films in our respective subjects’ careers: the Brian De Palma thriller Blow Out and Francis Ford Coppola’s romantic fantasy Peggy Sue Got Married!

In Blow Out, we get to see Travolta shuck his overwrought pretty-boy character studies to play the dogged lead of a tight-knit Hitchcockian thriller. It’s a great showcase for what Travolta can do when he’s not tasked with dancing or smirking; he’s haunted and intense as a sound designer who happens upon a political assassination and tries to unravel the mystery surrounding it. De Palma’s never been more stylish, and Travolta’s unique brand of nose-to-the-ground competence porn is beautifully suited to it.

And then there’s Peggy Sue Got Married, a charming little movie about the road not taken starring Kathleen Turner as a middle-aged woman suddenly transported back to her high school life with the knowledge of the disappointing life she’d lead. Nic Cage is there too, in the rare case where his Big Bold Choices actively hinder the movie; with big, fake chompers and a voice like Pokey from Gumby, it’s a make-or-break performance that may have driven Turner crazy during shooting, but is unforgettable for a whole different set of reasons.

Which one is better? Take a listen and find out what we thought!

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