It Could Happen To You (1994) is a fairy tale from another time
I know I watched this in the theater, but It Could Happen To You is such an afternoon TBS movie made to fill time that I believe I always felt that was its role. Not anything life changing, but a good time. Watching it now, I see the kindness and good nature of the film.
Nicholas Cage plays Charlie, a Queens beat cop who pretty much likes his station in life except when his wife Muriel complains about needing more. Bridget Fonda is a warm hug as Yvonne, a waitress with a bad almost-ex husband and no money to her name. One day, Charlie does not have money for a tip, so he says to Yvonne if he wins the lottery he will split the money with her. He does and he does, and the rest of the story is the fallout of two good people navigating a world of greed.
The whole thing is a fairy tale. Bad things happen to good people who stay true to who they are. The two p's are here: the bad people are punished, and the righteous prevail. Even throughout we have a narrator named Angel played by Isaac Hayes following their story, updating us and the general public on how these two crazy kids are doing.
Cage feels like the odd one out here in ways I'm having trouble verbalizing. He seems uncomfortable, stilted at times, yet likeable. Rather than a manic wryness he can bring to straight roles like National Treasure, this seems to be the Cage stuck between independent movies where he can make choices and action movies where his big and bold actions speak for a personality. This normal masking does not work here when he's giving speeches but does when he's playing with kids or sitting at a dinner table deciding what path his life will take.
On the other hand, Bridget Fonda was made for this type of role. She's effortlessly charming as a romantic protagonist, worldly but hopeful. As she showed in Doc Hollywood, despite being in the Fonda line of Hollywood royalty, she feels very hometown girl on the screen. Fonda acts like a person down on their luck who still cares about others. The kind of person who can have a bad day, maybe talk a little snarky to a cop she's waiting on, then apologize the next time she sees them. There's a kindness to this role that makes me smile.
Damn near everyone else is having fun with their roles. Rosie Perez is almost cartoonishly evil as Muriel, sucking up all the energy in every scene like a vacuum cleaner set to "skreech." I really wanted Wendell Peirce to say "sheeeeeet" after damn near every line, but all joking aside he's a damn good grounding element as Charlie's partner who wants the best for his friend. And, com'on, Stanley Tucci as the sleazy ex husband walking around in a towel slimily eating macadamia nuts? Get the fuck out of here with this cast.
Yes, it was based very loosely on a true story. A cop bet his waitress friend that he would split the lottery winnings, he did and he did. And that's about it.
Enjoyable all around with Cage's "a promise is a promise" and Fonda's "You'll have to excuse me, nobody ever loved me before" line readings. Rare these days to see a movie about kind hearted people that don't have to snark their way through the plot.
If you want a cozy night in, it's a nice comfort watch.