It Could Happen to You (1994)

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The acting in this movie is really good.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

With the curtain being drawn back to reveal a soft focus NYC skyline by a woman taking down her rooftop laundry line and the film's narrator, Issac "Shaft" Hayes, starting the film off with the words "Once upon a time..." the fairy tale tone is set for this charming love story set in the big city. Nicholas Cage plays a kindly NYC police officer who one day doesn't have enough money to tip a waitress, Bridgette Fonda, so he promises her that he'll split the winnings of his lottery ticket if he wins. Cage does hit the lottery jackpot and he and Fonda become media sensations when he follows through with his promise. Cage follows through with his promise much to the consternation of his greedy, self-centered, materialistic wife, Rosie Perez, and Fonda has to fend off her gold digging, irresponsible separated husband, Stanley Tucci. With their awful partners, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Cage and Fonda become star crossed lovers in a highly predictable, but none-the-less highly enjoyable film in the mold of 1930s/40s romantic comedy. The story is pure Hallmark Channel sap, but director Andrew Bergman and the two leads bring so much charm and likability to the film that it's nearly impossible to resist. For all the terrible films Cage has appeared in, this film served to remind me of what a good actor he can be, particularly because it was so different from his more frequent over-the-top, wild-man roles (i.e. "Wild at Heart," "Leaving Las Vegas," "Face-Off," etc.). Cage has a quiet easy charm in this film, playing a kind, very ordinary of character, which I'd forgotten he was able to play. Fonda is equally good as the kindhearted waitress and as whenever I see one of her film, I miss seeing her in new films and would love to see her come out of retirement. The two make an terrific onscreen couple and it's hard not to smile as you see them walking the streets of NYC, playing baseball with kids over Frank Sinatra standards, or even when they're doing the very 1990s activity of rollerblading through Central Park. However, one thing that jumped out at me, and maybe I'm reading too much into this, but there seemed to be a weird racist undercurrent with the waspy Cage and Fonda being unhappy in their marriages to their more "ethnic" of partners (Latina Perez and Italian Tucci). There's also a scene in the film where cage stops a convince store robber and the robber for no apparent reason is middle eastern. I hope this all was unintentional, but it did have an off-putting effect that was completely unnecessary in moving forward the film's plot. Despite that bit of likely unintentional racism, I really do love this film. The leads are terrific. The photography by Oscar nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (father of Zoey and Emily Deschanel) has the same kind of mythic feel he brought to "The Natural" and "The Right Stuff". The Carter Burwell score is gorgeous, as are the song choices, which include Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, The Supremes, and contemporary artists like Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lyle Lovett, and Wynton Marsalis, which serves as a nice bridge between the film's classic sensibilities and the modern setting. It's a charming and sweet old fashioned romantic comedy that just as easily could have starred Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Overall, "It Could Happen to You" is a the type of romantic comedy you'd seen a hundred times before, but overcomes it's cliches and familiarities to become one of the better if not one of the best examples of this type of fluffy rom com.

'It Could Happen to You' is the sort of film, that touches the core of your heart. Its a cute film, with wonderful performances. 'It Could Happen to You' Synopsis: A police officer promises to share his lottery ticket with a waitress in lieu of a tip.'It Could Happen to You', which is inspired by a real-life incident, is a feel-good romantic-comedy, about people who are in need of money & love. Its entirely & unabashedly a human-story, that displays romance & life's usual hiccups with earnestness.Jane Anderson's Screenplay is well-balanced. It has its share of humor & romance. Andrew Bergman's Direction is excellent. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design are fair.Performance-Wise: Nicolas Cage is wonderful, as always. Bridget Fonda is beautifully restrained, offering a performance of pure emotion. Rosie Perez is extra-ordinary. She slips into her character effortlessly. Wendell Pierce is first-rate. Stanley Tucci & Richard Jenkins are decent. The Late/Great Isaac Hayes leaves a mark. On the whole, 'It Could Happen to You' works. Thumbs Up!

In the shadow of selfish greed: unselfish sharing. As example the movie It Could Happen to You (realitybased http://www.snopes.com/luck/lottery.htm; Cunningham, a thirty-year police veteran, was a regular diner at Sal's, where he liked to order linguine with clam sauce and maintain a steady flow of banter with Penzo, other employees, and regular customers. True to his lighthearted style, Cunningham was making a sort of joke on Friday evening, March 30, 1984, when he offered his favorite waitress an unusual tip: a half-interest in a lottery ticket. Each picked three of the six numbers; Cunningham walked across the street and bought their ticket. Penzo laughed, then forgot the incident until the next night, when the detective walked into Sal's Pizzeria after work with the winning ticket triumphantly clutched in his hand. It was worth six million dollars: three million for each of them. Cunningham, who ordinarily might have left a couple of dollars on the restaurant table, had no regrets about splitting the prize. After all, he says, Penzo helped pick the winning numbers). The movie balances Capras It's a wonderful life. It Could Happen to You is hollywoodfun. Reported by NYT 3 April 1984 it is framed as a New York Post fairy tale, as the 'Cinde-fucking-rella' Pretty Womans promised fairy tale. The photographer Angel Dupree narrates the seven chapters: 1. Cop gives waitress 2 $ M tip, 2. Lotto Robin Hood, 3. A night at the Plaza – Lotto Love, 4. The trial begins, 5. Lotto & waitress lost, 6. Their darkest hour and – after the first three minutes we know the happy ending: 7. Cop weds waitress. Foolish peoples 'silly' but good ideas are often responded by jealous greed and to want more, more and more. The naive good is luckily hidden behind the screaming selfish 'Muriels'. When finally Muriel is unable to take more of her husbands sharing style wants divorce, happy for his "A night at the Plaza Lotto Love" with his waitress. She wants not only his share of the lottery tip, also the promised away. But here she has crossed for Charlie the line. Charlie goes to court: "The trial begins" and the verdict: "The cop & waitress lost". The average rule: to get everything, everything must be lost is part of this fairy tale. "Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread", Proverbs 30:8. Attached the/a winning lottery ticket is the disappointment of all those who have bought a lottery ticket and lost, infecting the winner. The good example for this is Muriels sky rocking greed – and Charlie's lack to be infected, falling into the tempting trap. Charlie and soul mate Yvonne have the sharing in the backbone (as childpractised by the founder of the Camphill Movement Karl König 1902-1966 and showed to the staff for the disabled, among them dear friend Stefan Engqvist 1942-1980 (send to by food but gave the money to the needed in front of the store). When still in charge of the 'infected' money, Charlie and Yvonne try to balance with warm deeds: paying for the train journeys of passengers of the subway, treating the children of his neighborhood to a day out at Yankee Stadium, small gifts here and there unnoticed. And fail. When all is lost (Yvonne: "Because of me you have nothing", exclaims the waitress) the as a poor customer disguised photographer Angel asks at the Café the couple for a bowl of soup. The published photos in the next day's New York Post publicly eulogizes their willingness to feed a hungry and poor man in "Their darkest hour". Their generosity is answered by the citizens of New York City: thousands of letters with tips are send to them. This warm gesture is the answer why the screaming Michelle had the law with her. The verdict (above the judge are the words: In God we trust) tells that Gods ways are unpredictable not know but understandable then. The cop and the waitress had to win and to loose – getting everything. The 'Angel' Dupree and the 'angels' in Wim Wenders movie Wings of Desire help humans when they are able to contact their own angel, the child within. Some hear and listen, some not: the screaming environment is too loud. Muriel screams and can't. But Charlie can. But: was he really good all the way? When offering Yvonne the choice: Twice the tip amount, or half the lottery, if he won? Charlie was tempted for a moment, forgetting what he stands for. So Yvonne, tempted by choosing the infected lottery tip. But as sharing is their second nature, they woke up, avoiding in the last second deceiving corruption. Charlie's decision to go to court remembered him to be put back on track. Not a few remember and do not listen: "… give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread", Proverbs 30:8.

I didn't realise that this Frank Capra like titled film from director Andrew Bergman (Honeymoon in Vegas, Striptease) was based on a true story, so I was certainly going to try it. Basically New York police officer Charlie Lang (Nicolas Cage) has a heart of gold, and when unable to give coffee shop waitress Yvonne Biasi (Bridget Fonda), he promises to give either the tip or half his lottery winnings, if he wins, to her the next day. Unbelievably, Charlie and his wife Muriel (Rosie Perez) do win the lottery jackpot, sharing $4,000,000 with seven other winners, and of course Charlie still wants to stick to the promise he made to Yvonne. Muriel of course is mad that he made this promise in the first place, and is sticking to it, and Yvonne is shocked to be given $2,000,000. Over time, Muriel is demanding a divorce from Charlie, wanting the full cash settlement, plus what he gave to Yvonne. It is when Charlie and Yvonne have fallen for each other, after the split, that they are both determined to win their case. They don't win the case to keep the $2,000,000, but in the end they get lots of the money back from generous senders who know they deserve to do something good with it. Also starring Wendell Pierce as Bo Williams, Isaac Hayes as Angel Dupree, Víctor Rojas as Jesu, Seymour Cassel as Jack Gross, Stanley Tucci as Eddie Biasi, J.E. Freeman as Sal Bontempo, Red Buttons as Walter Zakuto, Richard Jenkins as C. Vernon Hale and Robert Dorfman as Walter. Considering it is based on truth, this is a nice charming film with the romantic comedy theme, with Cage, Fonda and Perez all making top form performances. Worth watching!