It Could Happen to You

Charlie Lang is a New York City police officer, a decent man married to Muriel, whose ambitions center on money and leaving their Queens neighborhood behind. One day, short of cash in a cafeteria, he promises waitress Yvonne Biasi half of his lottery winnings in place of a tip. The ticket he holds turns out to be worth four million dollars, and Charlie keeps his word, handing half to Yvonne. Muriel is outraged and sets out to claim the entire sum for herself, while the unusual arrangement draws attention from the press.

Andrew Bergman directed the film, his fourth feature after So Fine, The Freshman and Honeymoon in Vegas. Jane Anderson wrote the screenplay, and Mike Lobell produced it for TriStar Pictures. Nicolas Cage plays Charlie, Bridget Fonda plays Yvonne and Rosie Perez plays Muriel, with Wendell Pierce, Isaac Hayes and Víctor Rojas among the supporting cast.

Made for about 20 million dollars, the film took in roughly 38 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.4 out of 10 from more than 42,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.7 out of 10 from around a thousand votes. A critics' rating of 6.2 out of 10 from 36 reviews places it slightly below the audience scores.