It Could Happen to You (1994)

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

Director:

Andrew Bergman

Writer:

Jane Anderson

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Bridget Fonda, Rosie Perez

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Charlie and Muriel Lang have led simple lives - for most of their existance. That's until they win $4 million on the lottery! There is a problem, however. Prior to winning the lottery, Charlie had eaten at a cafe and hadn't been able to tip the waitress. He had promised her, jokingly, that if he won the lottery he'd give her half of it. This is why his wife, Muriel decides to leave him. She doesn't want the waitress to get a cent of their money. Infact she wants all $4 million for herself!

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Plot Keywords:

lottery | waitress | money | police officer | ticket | 

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Taglines:

A cop. A waitress. A lottery ticket.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language and a scene of cop action

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cop Gives Waitress $2 Million Tip!

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Gross:

£300,230 (UK) (11 November 1994)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SDDS Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie's initial phase, it was originally titled "The $2 Million Tip". Arnold Schwarzenegger was slated to star in the movie, but ultimately chose to star in Last Action Hero instead.

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Goofs

When the movie begins, the coffee shop is called "Ideal". After she buys it, Yvonne changes the name to "Yvonne's". When Charlie comes to the shop to find Yvonne (the first time that they are together after the court verdict), the name of the shop is "Ideal" again. But if you look closely, the Yvonne's sign is still up, just darkened. Obviously with the money awarded to Muriel, Yvonne would had sold the coffee shop back to her original boss, hence it is in the middle of re-doing the sign.

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Quotes

Charlie Lang: I told you I'd share my ticket. I never planned on sharing my heart. Maybe I could get lucky twice today.

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Connections

Features Designing Women (1986)

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Soundtracks

"Always"
Written by Irving Berlin
Performed by Tony Bennett

User Reviews

so hard to dislike

Warm, enchanting, simply wonderful romantic comedy plays out like a fairy tale brought to life. Cage is a gracious, good-natured New York cop who wins the lotto; against the wishes of his demanding, mercurial wife (Perez), he splits it with a hard-luck waitress (Fonda) as repayment for not leaving a tip! Predictable every step of the way, and hard to believe (though it's purportedly based on a true story), but it's so well-performed, so irresistibly charming, so sweet and romantic that you really don't mind. Not only a good showcase for the film's three ideal leads, but also a kindhearted film that gives hope to the notion of human decency. ***