Overview
A lottery win turns into a marital disaster when greed takes center stage.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- warm
- sentimental
- lazy sunday
- date night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film an appealing, accessible romantic comedy-drama whose warmth and performances outweighed its conventionality.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Charlie and Muriel's marriage fractures after the lottery win and Charlie's promise to share it with Yvonne.
Charlie honors his promise to the waitress while the lottery win attracts fame, media attention, and legal conflict.
The film uses lottery absurdity, marital conflict, and public attention to contrast greed with generosity.
Charlie's joking offer to give Yvonne half the winnings drives the central dispute once the ticket pays off.
Films like It Could Happen to You, and why
Maid in Manhattan
shared romantic comedy structure, ordinary protagonists, and warm moral conflict around money and generosity
Working Girl
shared New York setting, breezy romance, class tension, and accessible comedic drama
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
shared lottery-driven wish fulfillment, relationship pressure, and sentimental comedy-drama tone
Movie Details
- Director
- Andrew Bergman
- Release Date
- 1994-07-16
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (973)
Cast
- Nicolas Cage
- Bridget Fonda
- Rosie Perez
- Wendell Pierce
- Isaac Hayes
- Víctor Rojas
- Seymour Cassel
- Stanley Tucci
- J.E. Freeman
- Red Buttons
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Starz Apple TV channel, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is It Could Happen to You about?
- A New York policeman’s lottery windfall turns a casual promise to a waitress into a comic test of marriage, loyalty, and greed.
- What is It Could Happen to You like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of It Could Happen to You as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is It Could Happen to You violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in It Could Happen to You.
- What did critics think of It Could Happen to You?
- Critics generally found the film an appealing, accessible romantic comedy-drama whose warmth and performances outweighed its conventionality.
- Which films are like It Could Happen to You?
- Films with a similar feel include Maid in Manhattan, Working Girl, and The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio.
- How long is It Could Happen to You?
- It Could Happen to You runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch It Could Happen to You?
- In United States, It Could Happen to You streams on fuboTV, Starz Apple TV channel, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel.
