It Could Happen to You (film)

• Nicolas Cage: Charlie Lang
• Bridget Fonda: Yvonne Biasi
• Rosie Perez: Muriel Lang
• Wendell Pierce: Bo Williams
• Isaac Hayes: Angel Dupree
• Stanley Tucci: Eddie Biasi
• Richard Jenkins: C. Vernon Hale
• Victor Rojas: Jesus
• J. E. Freeman: Sal Bontempo
• Red Buttons: Walter Zakuto
• Beatrice Winds: Judge

$ 2,000,000 tip ( Original title: It Could Happen to You ) is an American comedy film from the year 1994 was directed by Andrew Bergman, wrote the screenplay Jane Anderson.. The film stars Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda.

Action

The action takes place in New York. The story is told as a tale of Angel Dupree. The cop Charlie Lang is both in his profession as a police officer and civilian life is a very good person. When Charlie and his partner one day have breakfast in a cafe, Charlie learns the waitress Yvonne Biasi know. It is relatively unfriendly, as they had to swear an oath on the same day, because her estranged husband, from whom she divorce can not afford to spent with their joint credit card $ 12,000.

Since Charlie no small change, but a lottery ticket (which is actually intended for his wife Muriel Lang) carries with him, he promises Yvonne as he goes, instead Tipped half of any lottery prize. In fact, Charlie and Muriel win on the same night the jackpot. After his wife Muriel must accept that due to other winners, their share is " shrunk " to $ 4 million dollars, there is a big row between Charlie and Muriel, as he tells her of his promise, the profit with Yvonne to share.

Nevertheless, he manages to persuade Muriel. When Charlie then returns the next day to the cafe and Yvonne tries to tell the tale, she first apologized formally for the rudeness of the previous day and tells Charlie of their financial distress. Furthermore sees Charlie, how Yvonne care of AIDS patients who visit the cafe. Charlie is there clear that Yvonne is a good person and it would be right to give her the part of the profit to help her. Yvonne is overjoyed when she learns of the profit. Charlie, Yvonne and Muriel come after subsequent award of the lottery company great in the press.

Yvonne buys the cafe where she worked previously and directed there even a table with Charlie's name to get to the poor and homeless people a free meal.

Muriel is planning to increase their wealth, they referred to himself at the beginning as a "luxury man." They are from some of their assets for the renovation of the apartment, as well as for purchases of various luxury items.

In the following, Charlie is wounded while serving in a shootout and Yvonne's husband returns to her life and wants a share of the profits for themselves.

On the basis of Muriel's pursuit of profit, the relationship between Charlie and her drifting apart. Charlie therefore spends his time with Yvonne, while Muriel on a boat party the lottery winner Jack Gross gets to know who makes their offers, how they could invest their money, what Muriel arouses interest.

When the media report on the joint activities of Charlie and Yvonne, Charlie is thrown by Muriel from the apartment. She tells him that she wanted a divorce. Charlie, who is leaving the apartment and initially wants to stay with his friend and partner Bo Williams, can be persuaded by a neighbor boy, but to stay a night at the Plaza. Yvonne, who is being harassed by her husband, also quartered for the night in there. Charlie and Yvonne meet by chance at the reception and spend a night together at the Plaza.

Through the ensuing media frenzy are Charlie's chances at the divorce process after very bad. He is accused yet to have a longer relationship with Yvonne. To request the attorneys at Muriel $ 1 million from him, as well as the $ 2 million by Yvonne back. This can also prevail at the end of Muriel, so Charlie and Yvonne left without means. She moves away from him and feels guilty to have destroyed his life. Charlie tells her to a lonely evening in the cafe, however, that money did not matter to him and the man whom he got to know ( Yvonne ), meant to him much more than the money. Charlie and Yvonne are now planning to leave New York. While they dance alone in Yvonne's Cafe abandoned, knocks a homeless man at the door, which asks for a soup. Yvonne she gives him. He eats, while Charlie and Yvonne dancing arm in arm. It turns out that the alleged homeless is a photographer for the New York Post. He tells of the " Darkest Hour" ( the darkest hour ) of the couple in a poignant newspaper articles, among others the fact that Charlie him when he wanted to go, yet slipped money and regretted that it was not more.

This headline prompted the citizens of New York City to a notice in the newspaper to exercise on their way justice and to give Charlie and Yvonne own tip. Thousands of letters meet in the cafeteria of a Yvonne, all filled with some dollars, so Charlie and Yvonne get a " tip " of $ 600,000. They can live from now on (as in a fairy tale ) happy to the end of their days. Yvonne's ex-husband then only get work as a taxi driver, while Muriel Jack Gross married, plunders their bank account and flees out of the country.

Reviews

Roger Ebert praised in the newspaper Chicago Sun-Times on 29 July 1994, the Director of the film and the presentation of Rosie Perez. Hal Hinson criticized in the Washington Post of 29 July 1994 that the movie was unrealistic. Peter Travers described in Rolling Stone on 14 February 2001, the relationship between Charlie and Yvonne as a parody of Ken and Barbie.

Background

Some elements of the plot is based on a true story that happened to the police officers Robert Cunningham and the waitress Phyllis Penzo. On 30 March 1984, the inspector asked in his local pizzeria waitress Penzo, to help him when typing the lottery numbers. Both then selected from each of three numbers. Cunningham joked that there are half as a tip, if he would win. At this he also stopped when he actually won six million U.S. dollars with this lot. Unlike in the film, both stayed with their respective spouses.

The film was shot in New York City, Jersey City and Yonkers. He played in the cinemas of the United States, a 37.8 million U.S. dollars.