Milliardaire malgré lui

I'm not really the type of person that gets all excited about romantic films, but there is just something about this film that makes you feel good all the way through.

Not only is the film very touching and quite romantic, but it also has something to say about honesty and greed in the world. Although, this isn't the first movie in history to touch on these subjects, but I'm pretty sure it has never been done quite like this before.

The cast in this film is just plain excellent. Nicolas Cage is as great as always, no big surprises or let downs in that department. Bridget Fonda is spectacular in her role. She delivers a very heart-felt performance and looks nothing less than fantastic throughout the film. Both characters played by Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda were excellent characters and really seem like people that you enjoy being around. Rosie Perez was very good in her role, I actually HATED her character, not in the sense that she did a poor job, but that her character was an unlikeable person. Wendell Pierce's character (Bo Williams) was great too, also a person you would be proud to call a friend. Isaac Hayes was nice touch in the film. The rest of the cast was very good as well.

I would definitely recommend this film to anyone that likes Nicolas Cage, Bridget Fonda, romantic-comedies or just feel-good movies. I really enjoyed this film quite a bit and I hope that you will too. Thanks for reading,

-Chris

I have seen this movie some time ago, and I really enjoyed it. It`s simple, nice, romantic, at times sad, and isn't that what life's about? Things and circumstances change, but the personality should remain, and the hope also. It shows a straightforward cop, a nice waitress and a posesive and nasty wife. I liked the story, I liked the acting of Cage and the lovely Bridget Fonda. She's cute. Good movie, I recommend it. See ya around.

I've read that,among other people,critic Roger Ebert liked the afore-mentioned title for this movie as opposed to the name it actually got. Am I alone in the only one who thinks that the original title was NOT a good idea? Think about it:how easily would the title of above roll of the tongue when discussing movies or going to the ticket window? Titles that have indirect subjects in their sentences to me,seem like they're trying to test the memory of the viewer wanting to see the film as much as they are trying to get his or her attention.

OK,'nuff said about that.

As for the movie: Unapologetically sweet,this is one part fairy-tale,one part morality lesson(like those two elements COULDN'T be one and the same thing!),using none other than the Big Apple as its backdrop.

Honest beat cop Charlie Lang(Nicolas Cage in possibly one of the least conflicted and cleanest character portrayals he's given)is short of change one day and,while stopping for coffee at a street diner,uses in lieu of a tip,part of his lottery ticket to the harried but pretty and good-natured waitress(Bridget Fonda,in a word:likable). When that ticket wins a large,metro-area jackpot,Charlie does the right thing and splits his portion of the winnings with the waitress,who needs that money desperately: she's in debt to her ears and has a mooch of an ex-husband(Stanley Tucci)who won't leave her alone. This act of generosity does not sit well at all with Charlie's vain wife Muriel(a screechy,believable Rosie Perez),who eventually acts to have Charlie--and in the process Yvonne the waitress--cut from the winnings entirely.

People who like to complain that movies these days have no sense of either morality or sentimentality would be wisely steered in the direction of this flick. Even though it's over a decade old,it's story is easily transferable and,while I am usually loathe to suggest remakes,would actually be receptive to a remake of this film(provided the screenwriter and director were willing to change some elements of the story,like location,circumstances or even genders). A film that seems to have been made by the ghost of Frank Capra,who would've been possessing Andrew Bergman(who successfully directed Mr.CAge in "HOneymoon in Vegas" a few years before). A good rent for anyone who likes a little sentimentality in their comedy.

Heart-warming little comedy that uses old Hollywood tactics to tell a fairy tale story that works really well on the big screen. New York cop Nicolas Cage does not have a tip for diner waitress Bridget Fonda so promises to split his earnings if he wins the state's lottery. Amazingly he does win. His share is $4 million and true to his word he gives half to Fonda to wife's Rosie Perez's dismay. Perez is the boss in a loveless marriage. Cage and Fonda then start to fall in love with each other and Perez decides to divorce Cage just out of spite and try to get the entire $4 million for herself. A really beautiful romantic film that works due to quiet, but highly effective performances by Cage and Fonda. Perez steals every scene here and the film's good screenplay makes it a nice success. 4 stars out of 5.

It Could Happen to You (1994)

*** (out of 4)

Nicolas Cage plays a poor cop who doesn't have enough money to leave a tip for a poor waitress (Bridget Fonda) but he promises to split his lottery winnings if he should happen to win. Sure enough he does win and he keeps his word to the waitress but before long his wife (Rosie Perez) leaves him and wants all the money.

IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU was based on an actual case and when the movie was first released it got a lot of press because of this. The film was a moderate box office success and it helped build that ladder, which would make Cage a star over the next couple of years. There's no question that the film is rather light entertainment but at the same time there's no denying that all three leads are wonderfully good in their roles.

The point of this movie was to be romantic and there's no question that happens very easily. I think the Perez character is such a dirty and mean person that it really makes the Cage and Fonda characters seem all the more charming and that credit has to go to the stars. Cage and Fonda have some wonderful chemistry together and there's no doubt that they really do light up the screen. When they smile at each other you really do feel as if there's a spark there. As for Perez, she's simply perfect in that way that only she can be.

IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU is certainly very predictable and there's no doubt that it's not a hard-hitting drama that takes a look at greed. The film wasn't meant to be that as it simple wanted to tell a cute story and it does that very well.