It Could Happen To You Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
A cop. A waitress. A lottery ticket.
It's not about money. It's about life.
Charlie Lang, a New York cop with a heart of gold, wins a share of the lottery. However, the day before, having been caught without enough money to tip waitress (Yvonne), Charlie offers her half the winnings. Charlie's wife, Muriel, is the complete opposite of her husband. She wants more and more money, and she's not impressed by Charlie's honest and kind nature. As Charlie and Muriel grow apart, Charlie and Yvonne grow together.
| 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 |
| Red Buttons | Walter Zakuto |
| Richard Jenkins | C. Vernon Hale |
| Robert Dorfman | Walter |
| Charles Busch | Timothy |
| Beatrice Winde | Judge |
| Ginny Yang | Mrs. Sun |
| Andrew Bergman |
6.10 out of 10 (9756 votes)
Visitor Reviews
"Cop Gives Waitress $2 Million Tip!" was working title
posted on 05 May 2009I've read that,among other people,critic Roger Ebert liked the afore-mentioned title for this movie as opposed to the name it actually got. Am I alone in the only one who thinks that the original title was NOT a good idea? Think about it:how easily would the title of above roll of the tongue when discussing movies or going to the ticket window? Titles that have indirect subjects in their sentences to me,seem like they're trying to test the memory of the viewer wanting to see the film as much as they are trying to get his or her attention.OK,'nuff said about that.As for the movie: Unapologetically sweet,this is one part fairy-tale,one part morality lesson(like those two elements COULDN'T be one and the same thing!),using none other than the Big Apple as its backdrop.Honest beat cop Charlie Lang(Nicolas Cage in possibly one of the least conflicted and cleanest character portrayals he's given)is short of change one day and,while stopping for coffee at a street diner,uses in lieu of a tip,part of his lottery ticket to the harried but pretty and good-natured waitress(Bridget Fonda,in a word:likable). When that ticket wins a large,metro-area jackpot,Charlie does the right thing and splits his portion of the winnings with the waitress,who needs that money desperately: she's in debt to her ears and has a mooch of an ex-husband(Stanley Tucci)who won't leave her alone. This act of generosity does not sit well at all with Charlie's vain wife Muriel(a screechy,believable Rosie Perez),who eventually acts to have Charlie--and in the process Yvonne the waitress--cut from the winnings entirely.People who like to complain that movies these days have no sense of either morality or sentimentality would be wisely steered in the direction of this flick. Even though it's over a decade old,it's story is easily transferable and,while I am usually loathe to suggest remakes,would actually be receptive to a remake of this film(provided the screenwriter and director were willing to change some elements of the story,like location,circumstances or even genders). A film that seems to have been made by the ghost of Frank Capra,who would've been possessing Andrew Bergman(who successfully directed Mr.CAge in "HOneymoon in Vegas" a few years before). A good rent for anyone who likes a little sentimentality in their comedy.
I'd only change one thing.
posted on 26 Apr 2009A genuinely uplifting and funny film.I wish they had not claimed that this was based on a true story. With this comment, my enjoyment of the movie was marred by the nagging thought that this could never have happened.Much better to think of this film as a fairytale: pure fantasy. On that level it really works.
It Could Happen to You
posted on 03 Mar 2009I 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!
Good one
posted on 01 Feb 2009I have seen this movie some time ago, and I really enjoyed it. It`s simple, nice, romantic, at times sad, and isn't that what life's about? Things and circumstances change, but the personality should remain, and the hope also. It shows a straightforward cop, a nice waitress and a posesive and nasty wife. I liked the story, I liked the acting of Cage and the lovely Bridget Fonda.
She's cute. Good movie, I recommend it. See ya around.
a tear in one eye, a laugh on the other and a smile
posted on 20 Jan 2009He (cop) is to good to be true, She's too dumb to be true (cosmetician) and the other she is too sweet to be true (waitress). All three protagonists are performed great by their respective actors. Outstanding performance by Bridget Fonda.Sure, the movie has its lengths, especially when you don't watch it for the first time. But then again, even after four years I remembered almost all of it.And the end, though in principle clear from the beginning, got a special touch which adds one more tear - and one more smile.Peaceful. I like it.
Great movie
posted on 21 Dec 2008Yesterday I was zapping my way through my cable tv and I got hooked up in the middle of this wonderful movie. Cage really moved me with his interpretation of a police officer whose word is sacred. By doing what he thought was correct, he found the love of his life (and I gotta tell, Bridget is a marvelous actress). Snif, this movie really touched me...
Sweet
posted on 06 Dec 2008Charming movie with luck, fate,coincidence, and romance all rolled into one. Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda are simply wonderful and make it hard to resist this movie. Although it may seem totally illogical, the two leads play it out with warmth and conviction. A movie that everyone can enjoy, even those who aren't fans of love stories. 3/4
Fairy tales may come true if you 're young at heart!
posted on 14 Oct 2008May be you don' t believe it, but from time to time, there are certain poetic films that would seem to recover its majesty even in the most unexpected circumstances.
The plot is a fairy tale indeed, but in last instance, who cares about it ?. The final intentions are precisely what it counts. A winning lottery ticket will become the sparkling breach to narrate a story that surely will enchant you.
A marriage in disgrace due both of them would seem to talk by different TV channels. His marriage is far to be a dialogue, but an exchange of monologues. A honest man, a good guy, a candid man, is a cop in NYC, an ambitious wife; a disillusioned woman plenty of good feelings who suddenly will meet one each other in this little picture of low budget perhaps, but loaded of spring vision. There will be a gradual, very emotive and absolutely expected love affair between these solitaire souls, that will experience certainly new, varied, encountered and cruel emotions.
I have always been engaging with Bridget Fonda as actress. She possesses that delirious touch just reserved to a few artists. She illuminates the screen with her mesmerizing sidereal beauty ornamented with her naïve smile; she is a lovely and very talented artist who stole the show along the picture. Rosie Perez is fine as the ambitious wife and the great Seymour Cassel as the elegant Jack Gross is terrific. Nicholas Cage in one of his best performances ever; very natural and credible in that character The script has no fissures, the frame is the always changing City of the World and the fit camera of Andrew Bergman, will allow to reconcile us with the life through this unusual film, without special effects, free of violence, chase cars and sensationalist explosions. I swear it.
A beauty parable of the Good Samaritan, and the expected boomerang reaction of the community respect this very weird behavior.
The Angel 's device is imported from "The wings of desire". And the final shot of the red balloon floating over Central Park is a well deserved homage to Albert Lamouirise ` s The Red Balloon.
Unbearable
posted on 26 Sep 2008My wife, my mother and I sat down to watch this and barely made it through a half hour before we all agreed to turn it off. We had expected to like it after it did so well at the box office but the characters are so weak and the plot and dialog are so predictable it was torturous. If you want a romantic comedy pick When Harry Met Sally or Shakespeare in Love. Even Sleepless in Seattle, which is essentially enjoyable fluff, is way better than this movie. I would watch Sleepless again but I couldn't even watch all of It Could Happen To You once.
Heartwarming Love story
posted on 22 Jul 2008If I could make one change to this movie, it would be near the end when Angel (Isaac Hayes) tells what happened to each of the characters...I would have added a brief cameo of Muriel (played brilliantly by Rosie Perez) getting her just desserts...I would show Muriel, working in a nail salon, with a bitter look on her face, slamming things around, with a rude customer barking orders at her. Other than that, great movie!
This movie makes bright your day!
posted on 29 Mar 2008This movie may not be the best film in the world but it was simply so warm, romantic and cute that I could watch it again. The plot was very easy to guess, the characters were pretty simple, people were good or bad, nothing in between. Nicolas Cage was very sweet and tender as Charlie Lang. Bridget Fonda was a waitress easy to love, cute, humorous and sweet. Lang's wife was so awful that it made me to think why a man would even marry that kind of a woman. The wife was bad and so it didn't make Charlie a bad person if he fell in love with another woman. This movie made me feel good after seeing it. The film was romantic comedy (something that men would never like to see) and a good change for me after many weighty movies. I believe that many women would like this...at least I liked. The actors were good too and made their nice characters very lovable and bad characters very hateful. Don't wait anything big from this movie, just simply enjoy it's warm atmosphere.
Pure candy...
posted on 20 Jan 2008If you are one of those people who think a movie can actually make you feel good...YOU'RE RIGHT.This movie actually made my heart swell. Embarrassing but true. The story is manipulative, but the acting makes up for it (with Perez incredibly believable as Cage's witchy woman). See it.
A nice relaxing movie to watch.
posted on 02 Jan 2008Nicolas Cage plays a New York City cop, and Bridget Fonda plays a waitress working in a diner. Cage comes short with a tip from his meal and promises Fonda with half of the earnings from lottery ticket. Cage's wife played by Rosie Perez told him not to give the money to Fonda. Cage does the honorable thing to give half the winnings to Fonda, but it is only the beginning. If you are sucker for romance, then this your movie.
Anyone would like it
posted on 28 Sep 2007An honest, sweet fairy tale that is concise and heart-warming.Why it wasn't screened in Singapore, I don't know. Guess it was the Forrest Gump phenomenon. And I didn't even really enjoy Forrest Gump.It's a movie few would dislike. A wonderfully creative ending too.
One of the best romantic films ever
posted on 25 Apr 2007I recently bought and rewatched the DVD of this movie. I was absolutely delighted from start to finish. I'm a romantic movie fan, watching a lot of foreign films in this genre as well. I have to say that I'm surprised "It Could Happen To You" is not more widely regarded as a classic. It is easily the equal of "Sleepless in Seattle" or "When Harry Met Sally". The storyline is sweet and funny and leaves you feeling good about life. I found the screeplay and the production quite good. What really puts this movie over the top though are the actors.Who would believe Nicolas Cage, bad boy extraordinaire of "Vampire's Kiss" and "Wild at Heart" could so sweetly and convincingly play a nice guy? In Cage's hands, Charlie is utterly believable and real. You completely buy his fundamental decency, his inability to break a promise or not do 'the right thing'. And he is just so generally charming and attractive in this movie. If I were handing out Oscars, Cage would get one for playing Charlie. I can't remember when I've seen such a completely natural performance. Bridget Fonda is outstanding as well. She matches Cage's believability and charm. And the chemistry the two of them generate together is heady stuff from the moment they meet. Rosie Perez is very funny as well, but she is obviously doing humor -- a spoof. Cage and Fonda play it like the real thing and hit at a much deeper level.I watched this with my 11 year old daughter and husband and they both really liked it as well. I would give it 5 stars, but I was disappointed that the DVD didn't have any bonus features. I would enjoyed some interviews or a 'making of' featurette.This is one to watch again and again.
Corny is Refreshing
posted on 21 Mar 2007I love this "feel good" movie. It is corny , but I like romantic comedies that are like this. Rock Hudson, Cary Grant, and Tom Hanks all made some of these. No blood , no horror, no amazing technology, just relax and enjoy a movie that makes you feel good about people and romance.
Good and basic escapism.
Predictable but pleasant
posted on 01 Jul 2009Of course you know from the third scene or so how this movie will end. But it's worth the ride if you're not looking for anything too intellectual, and you want something that you can watch with kids in the room.I've never seen Rosie Perez in anything else -- does she always sound like that? She is either a great actress, or extremely irritating.