It Could Happen to You [Blu-ray] | ![It Could Happen to You [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fJgDiwjdL._SL500_.jpg) | Actor: Nicolas Cage
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $28.95
Buy New: $16.00
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Rating:  42 reviews
Sales Rank: 58664
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Blu-ray
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 101 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.3
MPN: 26290
UPC: 043396262904
EAN: 0043396262904
ASIN: B001TNGOXY
Theatrical Release Date: 1994
Release Date: May 5, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 05/05/2009 Run time: 107 minutes Rating: Pg
Amazon.com
Inspired by an actual incident, this unassuming, wonderfully good-natured romantic comedy tells the story of a New York City street cop named Charlie (Nicolas Cage) who makes a promise to a coffee-shop waitress named Yvonne (Bridget Fonda) that will change both their lives. One day after coffee, Charlie is embarrassed to discover he doesn't have money for a tip, so he tells Yvonne that he'll share half of his winnings if the lottery ticket he's holding comes up a winner. Sure enough, he wins the jackpot--a whopping $4 million payoff--and Charlie's wife, Muriel (Rosie Perez), goes ballistic when he tells her about his deal with Yvonne. From this point, It Could Happen to You follows Charlie's dilemma as he is forced to decide the proper course of action, and director Andrew Bergman smoothly incorporates a gentle love story into this amusing crisis of conscience. Fonda and Cage have an easygoing chemistry that adds a pleasant touch to the movie's fairy-tale plot, and the story's kindhearted sentiment is never so thick that it becomes sticky-sweet or artificial. As feel-good comedies go, this one's a class act. --Jeff Shannon
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 42
 White female as the only acceptable feminity September 30, 2009
Carol Hunt
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is an extremely unfortunate film. People need to be extremely careful what messages they are willing to accept as good messages. This story really falls apart when you analyze Bridget Fonda's character and recognize that she has very few qualities worth identifying. Her character is presented as the ultimate victim. She is supposed to be down on her luck, but that became obnoxious when you recognize that she is does not have a difficult life. The worst thing that has happened to her through the entire film is that her career as an actress flopped and she is mildly in debt because of a poor first marriage. Her seriousness about her debt is supposed to somehow make her a victim that needs to be saved by the right man. Her life isn't difficult. All she has to do is wait tables and she cannot manage that without being depressed; she has no responsibilities beside going to work and she cannot even find a job that she likes. Her character also has the annoying habit of trying to make her own ignorance cute. She doesn't understand what killed her beloved dog and never finds out. Poor Bridget...her dog died when she was a little girl.
The more serious implication of this film is that it reaffirms racial stereotypes. The film's underlying message is that a white man should never be with a minority woman and is justified in committing adultery if his current wife is non white. Fonda's character is childish, but somehow portrayed as the right mate for Cage. It is really sickening when you analyze Fonda's character and notice that beneath her constant complaining she is not ultimately sweet but greedy and deliberately engaging in an affair with another woman's husband. She has an apartment and a job--she does not need the lottery ticket and should not have taken it. Credit card debit is not an excuse to take money from a married man and is so selfish it is sickening. She does not feel bad about this at all and does not refuse the money because the other woman is colored. She feels like she is entitled to the belongings of a white male.
This movie contains the worst stereotype against a Latino female that I have ever viewed. Muriel is mean, greedy, childish (all the women in this film are extremely childish), and reduced to her body--she gets breast implants even though she is already physically beautiful. Within the first few minutes of the film Muriel explains that she is the kind of person that "needs money." She is domineering and yells at her husband. She wears beautiful outfits not because she has a love of beauty but because she is vain. When given money she puts a picture of herself on the wall further degrading attractive minority females. She supposedly lived with her husband for long periods of time but cannot understand him. She is stupid and disloyal. She dreams of winning the lottery not because of her economic situation (a minority female stuck in poverty) but because she is so greedy. She is so childish that she shrieks like a banshee when she wins the jackpot.
This movie does not resemble what it is like to be a minority female in the United States and ultimately portrays the life of a simple white girl as being more tragic. Then follows suit this case for the justification of a single white female stealing back the white male that accidentally married the wrong woman (a minority). By degrading the relationship of the married couple all interracial marriages are degraded.
As far as intercity life is concerned, this movie is pathetic. As a decent guy Cage has no material wants; this is portrayed by his willingness to raise children in the inner city without seeing a problem with it. Let's consider just why it might be a problem to raise children in the inner city and why love and humility will not make up for poor economic conditions. It is nothing more than a white woman's fantasy and justification for her own jealousy and belief in her ultimate superiority over other women. We are supposed to believe that females are so stupid that they cannot understand what poverty is really like and think that it can be solved by kissing aids patients and giving soup to the homeless. We get the typical black cop, who is ultimately useless but a dutiful side kick to the white man who is the actual hero. This role is reproduced in so many films that it is downright the hallmark of a bad film. Another hallmark is the dishonest Arab taxi driver who makes his appearance and the Arab that robs the mini mart. Asians are portrayed as racist work alcoholics(another common stereotype). It is amazing how every negative human quality appears in the character of a minority while the white Cage pleads for people to be reasonable.
As far as the divorce between Muriel and Cage is concerned, Muriel is somehow twisted into being wrong. Her husband insults her and parades the affair that he is having with another woman in front of her and the news, and somehow she is not entitled to the winning ticket and only gets it because of a ruthless lawyer. Nothing is mentioned about how no decent man would take his lottery earning and split it with some bimbo he met the day before (and Fonda is a bimbo) rather than with his wife. I am ashamed of this film and it isn't romantic.
 Classic Nicolas Cage romantic movie... May 25, 2009
Jovan Rivera Montes (Carolina, PR)
This romantic story is an instant classic in the 90's and it's great they release it on Blu-Ray. With a story so great and real that It was great telling ad seeing this movies.
 Blu-ray: The film deserves 4 stars, but the presentation on Blu-ray and lack of features brings it down to 3 stars. May 6, 2009
Dennis A. Amith (kndy) (California)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
"It Could Happen to You" was the surprise romantic comedy of the Summer of 1994 directed by Andrew Bergman (screenwriter for "The Freshman", "Fletch", "Striptease" and director of "Honeymoon in Vegas") and a screenplay by Jane Anderson (who has written for television series such as "The Facts of Life", "The Wonder Years" and most recently an episode of "Mad Men").
VIDEO & AUDIO:
One thing that people may see is the Blu-ray disc cover with photos that looks quite grainy and aged. Granted it was an artistic decision to use a water color style of filter to give a painted look but by no means should anyone judge the cover for the picture and audio quality of this High Definition transfer of "It Could Happen to You".
The film is presented in 1080p High Definition with an aspect ratio of 1:85:1. Although, the film does show a slight hint of age and the High Definition transfer does bring out the grain, you do get a bright and colorful look of New York City and overall, picture quality is well-done for a film that is 15-years-old compared to the original DVD. Like many films that came out in the 90's, many on Blu-ray tend to have some softness or dullness and "It Could Happen to You" joins that group.
To tell you the truth, "It Could Happen to You" is not a stellar transfer but its a very good transfer compared to the DVD.
The audio quality is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 in English, French and Portuguese and in Spanish 5.1. The film is primarily a dialogue driven film. Definitely more front channel speaker usage and rarely a need for the rear speakers or subwoofer in this film. Dialogue is heard clearly and I think that once in awhile, you do hear the sounds of New York and the ambiance but overall, audio quality is very good for a dialogue-driven film.
Music also plays a big part in giving us that New York feel but also that romantic sense with Frank Sinatra's "Young at Heart" playing during a scene at the old Yankee Stadium and of course beautiful classics such as Billie Holiday's "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Now It Can Be Told" and "Always" by Tony Bennett and more.
Subtitles featured are in English, English SDH, Portuguese, Spanish and French.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Unfortunately, there are no special features included. The Blu-ray disc for "It Could Happen to You" is BD LIVE enabled.
JUDGMENT CALL:
"It Could Happen to You" is a romantic comedy that was in theaters in July 1994. The screenplay fits the "fairytale" or "Happy Ever After" storylines that were popping up in the early 90's courtesy of films such as "Pretty Woman" and "Sleepless in Seattle".
The film was an enjoyable romantic comedy that definitely had that Frank Capra style of being a "happily ever after" storyline.
Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda definitely were enjoyable to watch, while Rosie Perez's character really goes out of its way to make you really despise her. With "Pretty Woman" about rags-to-riches, "It Could Happen to You" goes a different way of money changing things but its all about how one responds to it. Charlie and Yvonne continue to want to live their simple lives, he as a cop and she as a waitress. Both have extremely kind and caring hearts while Muriel wants the best in life...the expensive clothes, plastic surgery and whatever fame it could bring her. A selfish attitude that helps drive the final wedge into her marriage with Charlie.
With Andrew Bergman in the helm as director, some may have wondered if the film would have been dark since his previous film such as "The Freshman" and "Honeymoon in Vegas" were anywhere near happy as this film but overall, Bergman did a good job capturing that New York magic and the emotions of the characters. While Jane Anderson did a good job in making sure the pacing was just right and giving us that "happily ever after", "feel good" type of film. In other words, the Bergman, Anderson and the entire film play it safe and never gets complicated.
Of course, the storyline of a police officer willing to share half his multi-million dollar winnings with a waitress may seem farfetched but according to snopes.com, a similar story really did happen for real in 1984 with NYPD officer Robert Cunningham and Sal's Pizzeria waitress Phyllis Penzo.
It's the performances by all three talents that make this film so magical, believable and most of all enjoyable. And I like how the film would showcase the New York atmosphere from the city skyline to Yankee stadium.
Overall, "It Could Happen to You" is an enjoyable romantic comedy that even in 15-years-later, is given new life through it's new, beautiful Blu-ray transfer. This is probably the best we will ever see this film get.
If there was only one negative that I found with this release is the lack of any trailer, featurette, commentary or anything that would be considered a special feature. You do get trailers for upcoming films but that's about it.
All in all, "It Could Happen to You" is an enjoyable romantic comedy worth checking out!
relax and enjoy January 11, 2009
rex davis
This movie is simply about two nice people who end up with crappy marriage partners and find each other. They fall in love and live happily ever after. Their "exes" get what they deserve. Hardly a complicated plot.
After reading the good and bad reviews on this movie, it is disheartening to see how many people seem to think every movie must be neck deep in reality to be enjoyable. This movie is based on a true story - but it is only a movie! It's not a documentary nor intended to be. The critics must think that writers, directors, and actors are idiots because they can't see what's *wrong* with the script.
It's the kind of movie you watch if you're a romantic or just want to believe the world isn't as crappy a place as it treated you today. So open a bottle of your favorite drink, take off your shoes, and sit back to see two good actors put a smile on your face.
A nice story well presented November 28, 2008
Jan
This is a kind of story you can relate to. The two main characters seem to have a good chemistry, and hot Perez is wonderful as the awful character she is expected to be. Not very far from the typical romantic comedy though.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 42
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