In 1954 Garson Kanin, George Cukor, and Judy Holliday made a delightful comedy/social satire called IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU, regarding the difference between earned fame and celebrity in mid-century New York City. Four decades later the issues of celebrity and it's pitfalls were returned to in this similarly titled film starring Nicholas Cage, Bridget Fonda, Rosie Perez, and Isaac Hayes. Again a comedy, IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU is not about how fake celebrity is quickly achieved (as Holliday does it by renting a billboard and plastering her name and face on it for all New York to see), but how rival agendas can cross and fight over the rights to that celebrity.
Cage is a good natured cop in New York City in 1994. He is, unfortunately for himself, married to Perez who is apparently a fun loving decent wife (and a hair dresser). Cage has purchased a lottery ticket at Perez's insistent (she's always gambling), and he goes to his favorite diner for dinner. Fonda is a waitress there, and despite salary (and tips) has just filed for bankruptcy. Cage is about to leave the diner after eating, but has no money as a tip - so he leaves half of the lottery ticket as a tip for her (he thinks there is no harm in it). Unfortunately that ticket wins a four million dollar prize, and half of that is two million. Cage and Fonda are both quite happy with this, as Fonda now can avoid being bankrupt, and can settle her debts. Perez at first is happy too, but greed slowly surfaces in her personality. She always was more forceful than Cage was, but now she sees a chance to shine in high society. And soon this begins to mingle with a growing jealousy of just how friendly Cage and Fonda are (or is Perez actually building up grounds to push Cage away from that huge sum of money too). Watching over this is Hayes, as one of moviedom's angels among us. He is narrating the story, and acts as a final kind of deus ex ma-china towards the end to settle the tale.
IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU is a fantasy - unless you do believe in angels like Hayes (and why shouldn't you?). All the performers are good, in particular Perez who probably got her signature role as the selfish, pretentious wife here. While IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU had more social criticism in it (after all, how many people win lotteries), this is a fitting follow up comedy.
Now if only some clever script writer could write a third comedy called IT WOULD HAPPEN TO YOU!
Cage is a good natured cop in New York City in 1994. He is, unfortunately for himself, married to Perez who is apparently a fun loving decent wife (and a hair dresser). Cage has purchased a lottery ticket at Perez's insistent (she's always gambling), and he goes to his favorite diner for dinner. Fonda is a waitress there, and despite salary (and tips) has just filed for bankruptcy. Cage is about to leave the diner after eating, but has no money as a tip - so he leaves half of the lottery ticket as a tip for her (he thinks there is no harm in it). Unfortunately that ticket wins a four million dollar prize, and half of that is two million. Cage and Fonda are both quite happy with this, as Fonda now can avoid being bankrupt, and can settle her debts. Perez at first is happy too, but greed slowly surfaces in her personality. She always was more forceful than Cage was, but now she sees a chance to shine in high society. And soon this begins to mingle with a growing jealousy of just how friendly Cage and Fonda are (or is Perez actually building up grounds to push Cage away from that huge sum of money too). Watching over this is Hayes, as one of moviedom's angels among us. He is narrating the story, and acts as a final kind of deus ex ma-china towards the end to settle the tale.
IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU is a fantasy - unless you do believe in angels like Hayes (and why shouldn't you?). All the performers are good, in particular Perez who probably got her signature role as the selfish, pretentious wife here. While IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU had more social criticism in it (after all, how many people win lotteries), this is a fitting follow up comedy.
Now if only some clever script writer could write a third comedy called IT WOULD HAPPEN TO YOU!