It Could Happen to You (1994)

Director:

Andrew Bergman

Writer (WGA):

Jane Anderson (written by)

Release Date:

29 July 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A cop. A waitress. A lottery ticket.

Plot:

A police officer promises to share his lottery ticket with a waitress in lieu of a tip.

Plot Keywords:

Lottery | Waitress | Money | Ticket | Police Officer

Cast

Nicolas Cage	...	Charlie Lang
Bridget Fonda	...	Yvonne Biasi
Rosie Perez	...	Muriel Lang
Wendell Pierce	...	Bo Williams
Isaac Hayes	...	Angel Dupree
Víctor Rojas	...	Jesu
Seymour Cassel	...	Jack Gross
Stanley Tucci	...	Eddie Biasi
J.E. Freeman	...	Sal Bontempo
Red Buttons	...	Walter Zakuto
Richard Jenkins	...	C. Vernon Hale
Robert Dorfman	...	Walter
Charles Busch	...	Timothy
Beatrice Winde	...	Judge
Ginny Yang	...	Mrs. Sun

Also Known As:

Cop Gives Waitress $2 Million Tip! (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Germany:6 | Netherlands:6 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-8 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG (certificate #32943) | Norway:7 | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Bethsheba Terrace, Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

Released in the UK in the same week that the National Lottery was launched.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Yvonne files for bankruptcy in the beginning, she files in New York Civil Court. People file for bankruptcy in United States Bankruptcy Court which is a federal court. Civil Court where she filed is a state court. Bankruptcy is governed by federal laws, and therefore bankruptcy cases would be heard in federal as opposed to state court.

Quotes:

Muriel Lang: You should be locked up in that looney bin on Staten Island that Geraldo Rivera is always exposing!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mad About You: The City (#3.10)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

New York, New York

An enjoyable piece of escapism

The question that probably everybody once asked to himself / herself and many others is: what would you do if you won the lottery? Well, I know what I would do with it. I wouldn't change much to my lifestyle, but for those who don't know what to expect, this movie gives a good idea of how gaining a lot of money in a short period of time can influence your entire life... But I don't watch movies to know what to do with my life and neither should other people. Movies are entertainment and this one certainly offers plenty of that.

When Charlie Lang, a New York cop with a heart of gold, can't give a tip to Yvonne, a waitress at a small diner, he promises her that he will come back the next day to give her the double of her money or, in case he wins anything, half of his share of the state lottery. Of course she doesn't believe him, but when he comes back the next day and offers her the chance to chose between the two options, she goes for the lottery option. Only than he tells her that he has won 4 million dollars and that she will get half of that. But there is only one problem: his wife Muriel. She gets greedy, certainly doesn't want to share her money with a waitress she doesn't know, but doesn't even want to share it with her own husband. As Charlie and Muriel grow apart, Charlie and Yvonne grow together and it doesn't take long before Muriel files for divorce, grabs all the money and leaves with a rich man by her side...

There are plenty of romantic comedies nowadays and it is very hard to find a really good one. Well, this might be one of the few. I really liked it and there are many reasons for that. One certainly is that, despite the fact that we live in a world full of greed and egoism, some writers still try to give us hope by showing that not everything in the world is bad. OK, that may sound incredibly naive, but I really am not that stupid as you might think. I'm a business man in heart and soul, but sometimes I can really enjoy this type of positive escapism.

The fact that Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda play an important role in this movie also helps of course. And it has to be said, they really played their roles well and very convincingly. But they weren't the only ones, because the same can be said about Rosie Perez. She's incredibly good as the money-hungry bitch and despite what many people might think, she doesn't exaggerate. I've known people to change into someone just like her character once they had a bit of money in their hands... Overall this is a nice, perhaps a bit naive movie with some good acting and an interesting story. I really liked what I saw and find this one of the better romantic comedies I've ever seen. I give it a score of at least 7.5/10, although I think that even an 8/10 isn't exaggerated.