by David C. Terr

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Title: It Could Happen to You

Director: Andrew Bergman

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Bridget Fonda, Rosie Perez

Release Date: July 29, 1994 (USA)

Running Time: 101 min

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Commentary
It Could Happen to You is a very moving tale about a New York City cop played by Nicolas Cage who makes good on a promise of splitting a winning lottery ticket with a waitress he just met. The story and acting are both superb.

Plot Summary
One day, Charlie Lang (Cage) eats breakfast at a cafe. Without enough money to tip the waitress Yvonne (Fonda), he jokingly offers her half the winnings on his lottery ticket. Much to his surprise, he wins 4 million dollars. He decides to make good on his promise and give Yvonne 2 million dollars from his winnings, much to the discontent of his wive Muriel (Perez), who wants all the money for herself. The good nature of Charlie and Yvonne become clear in this movie as well as the selfish nature of Muriel.

Social Relevance
It Could Happen to You depicts two characters as rare as the event of their winnings. The movie is sort of Capra-esque in the struggle it presents between Charlie's good nature and his wife's greed. As in Capra's films, good prevails.