Film review #1 - It Could Happen To You.

It Could Happen To You, debuted in 1993, starring Nicholas Cage and Bridget Fonda is a story about a police officer who, having no money for a tip, tells the waitress he will split the winnings if he wins the lottery. She, of course, laughs him off and then he wins 4 million and splits it with her much to the chagrin of his wife.

This story is very uplifting and restores one’s faith in the goodness of people. Charlie, the police officer, is true to his promise and is intent on doing the right thing even though his wife and other people, including Yvonne, the waitress can’t believe he would actually follow through on his promise. Do people really do the right thing especially when there is money involved? Charlie is adamant several times that money doesn’t mean that much to him and that other things like honesty, loyalty, integrity are much more valuable.

Yvonne, the waitress, is, at first, reluctant to take the money but when Charlie insists that fair is fair, and a promise is a promise, she graciously, and gratefully accepts and a friendship ensues as Charlie and Yvonne come to know and respect each other better.

Can commitments to promises have negative consequences for the person who made the promise and others affected by it? And how should these negative consequences be managed and handled? The conflict engendered between Charlie and his wife, Muriel, leads the two of them to go in two separate directions with Muriel pursuing the pleasures of consumerism and buying things with her winnings while Charlie, not interested in material things, gets involved in community activities with the youth in his neighborhood.

So is winning the lottery a blessing or a curse? How does it change the winner and those close to them? If you promised someone, in passing, that you would split your lottery winnings with them if you win and you won, would you? What impact would your decision have on your life.

I give this film and 8 out of 10. It is worth watching and discussing.