IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU (1994)
A kind-hearted New York City police officer (Nicolas Cage) shares his $4 million lottery winnings with a down-on-her-luck waitress (Bridget Fonda), despite the objections of his money-obsessed wife (Rosie Perez). The police officer and waitress begin a friendship that blossoms into something more.
A potentially poisonous overdose of schmaltz is averted by the beguiling chemistry between Cage and the underrated Fonda. Cage’s character is as close as he ever got to playing Clark Kent. Rosie Perez gives a terrific Rosie Perez performance playing a character I imagine Rosie Perez would play. Director Andrew Bergman (co-writer of the much more acerbic Blazing Saddles) shows off a deft touch, balancing comedy with character-first moments. A rare romantic comedy that isn’t really about romance, but about people. That makes it stand above the rest.
STREAMING: HBO Max
THE OUT OF TOWNERS (1970)
An Ohio sales executive (Jack Lemmon) travels to New York City with his wife (Sandy Dennis). What they think will be a pleasant getaway to the big city, turns into a succession of nightmare scenarios as everything and everything goes wrong during their trip.
A rare Neil Simon script written expressly for the screen. Not close to the level of The Goodbye Girl but enough good laughs justify it for existence. Though the story becomes repetitive and Simon fails to create new conflicts to diversify the ongoings, it’s always a hoot to watch Lemmon loose his cool in high pressure predicaments. An on-brand quirky performance from Dennis is equally enjoyable. Worth a watch for the views of 70s NYC alone. If you like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, this once’s cut from similar cloth (albeit, less high quality cloth).
AVAILABLE TO RENT: Amazon Prime
ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (1974)
After the sudden death of her husband, Alice (Ellen Burstyn) hits the road with her bratty son (Alfred Lutter III) to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a singer. Along the way, she falls first for a violent, small town adulterer (Harvey Keitel) and then a divorced local rancher (Kris Kristofferson), who tries to win her jaded heart. Eventually, Alice winds up among the colorful characters at Mel’s Diner.
Scorsese shows his skillful hand extends beyond gangsters, F-bombs, and shine boxes. Burstyn’s Oscar winning performance perfectly balances the jocular with the tragic. Kristofferson shows he was much more than the guy who trained Blade to hunt vampires, and Keitel casts a savage shadow. Scorsese’s best themes concern the ruinous pursuit of the American Dream. He removes this theme from his usual canvas, the mean streets, and spreads it across the dusty Southwest roads and small towns of this film. The result is the most underrated and relatable of Scorsese flicks.
STREAMING: HBO Max
One of the most original movies I’ve ever seen. So unique that words cannot properly capture it. Dennis Potter’s brilliant script sets up expectations that then spin into a wildly dark arena, subversively countering both your presumptions and the genre it is homaging. Layering the naive innocence of the 20s/30s pop songs against the harsh cruelty of the Great Depression is an inspired and enormously effective juxtaposition. A serious Steve Martin is nearly as good as a funny one, being likable amidst dislikable behavior. Peters’ devolution from mousy schoolmarm to dirty trollop is honest, mesmerizing, and devastating. Harper draws humor and pity from sexual repression. But when Christopher Walken kicks up his heels in a spellbinding dance number, he steals the show.
STREAMING: HBO Max
One of two movies I was not allowed to watch as a kid (the other: Batman Returns). And I’m not sure why. Though not as effective as its predecessor, the film manages to rise about kid movie junk by continuing to parallel the familial struggles of Jesse and his aquatic pal. The last chance to see (most) of the original cast together again, including Michael Madsen (who I continue to forget is in these movies). Companionable and breezy, The Adventure Home is a perfect dose of nostalgia for those in need of some.
STREAMING: HBO Max
-T.Z.
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