It Could Happen to You

I've mentioned before that I like old things. Not 'old' as in, 'when I was a kid.' Old, as in 'long before I was even born' old. Old books, old music, old movies. And when I read new books, listen to new music, and watch newer movies, I like it when they remind of those older ones. It's a sense of familiarity. My mother played classical music while I was in the womb, so I had a good start, I suppose.

Tonight, I was reminded about why I enjoy those older things as much as I do. We watched 'It Could Happen to You,' a 1994 romantic comedy with some screwball elements starring Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda. It's based on a true story about a cop who promised a waitress, in lieu of a tip, to split any winnings from the lottery ticket he'd just bought. He wins, he shares, his wife is pissed...and the movie had a genuine 'old-school' vibe that you don't see very often anymore. Twenty-six years later, and the movie still resonates. It's one of my favorites, frankly.

This movie could easily have starred Jimmy Stewart and Judy Garland; it's that kind of old-time romantic movie, where the main characters are good, pure-hearted people, and everyone in the movie gets what's coming to them. Karma can be wonderful sometimes. Be warned; there are spoilers ahead.

The thing I like about it is that Charlie (Cage) and Yvonne (Fonda) come across as genuine nice people. Charlie is exactly the kind of cop you want to have around; he's honest, plays stickball with the neighborhood kids, and chases down convenience store robbers armed with guns. He even throws a can of tomatoes at one of them because he doesn't want to risk missing with his gun and hitting another customer. Winning the lottery doesn't change him; he's a blue-collar cop and happy to be so.

Meanwhile, Yvonne is every naive small-town girl who ends up in the big city and finds out that things aren't like they were back home, and neither are the people. She's beaten-down, bankrupt and ready to give up on life. "I feel bankrupt," she admits to her friend at her lowest point. Her faith in humanity is restored when Charlie keeps his word and gives her half of the winnings, and while she takes advantage of the windfall (buying the coffee shop she works at from her abusive boss), she still holds onto that innocent naivete and compassion for others that makes her a woman worthy of a good-hearted cop.

There's very little mention of religion, specifically Christianity, in this movie; Muriel (Rosie Perez), Charlie's money-hungry wife, invokes the spirit of her dead father in the courtroom scene, but it's in a mocking way. The narrator is identified only as 'Angel' for much of the movie (his true nature is revealed later on; spoiler alert: He's not supernatural), and he's sort-of in the background, hovering around through most of the movie. But Charlie and Yvonne come across as an ideal pair, looking for and finding the goodness around them even when their world falls apart.

As I said, I love this movie. It hearkens back to a time when that sort of attitude wasn't so unusual, where people like that were common, the kind of people you'd meet in the streets on a regular basis. When people were decent to each other, because that's just how they were raised. Unfortunately, today there seem to be a lot more Muriels than Yvonnes out there. That's not to say that Yvonnes are that uncommon, but let's be honest: That sort of moral fiber isn't as common as it once was.

I suppose this is getting rather preachy, but I can't help it; this blog is, after all, about my thoughts and feelings on various things. I've stayed away from religion and politics thus far, because those are the easiest ways to lose large chunks of potential readers. But, I am who I am, and I have to be honest, not only with myself, but with whoever decides to read this as well. So, I'll talk about things like morals and decency, because frankly, we need more of those in the world today, now more than ever.

I cant recommend this movie enough; it's a movie my wife and I could actually agree on and watch together, which puts it in a very rarified category. It's not the kind of movie that Hollywood makes anymore, which is unfortunate. Maybe someday, they'll get back to this kind of story, but until then, check this one out.

And, if you're the kind that prefers reading to movies, check out my first short-story anthology, A Universe of Possibilities, available now on Amazon.