Delayed Reaction: It Could Happen to You

The Pitch: I read this story about a cop who split his lottery winnings with a waitress he made a promise to. Let's build an entire movie around that.

What Took Me So Long: I'm a little Cage-y about Nic and not very Fond-a Bridget.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) I laughed at how similar the development of this is to Safety Not Guaranteed. It's about a famous incident in which a cop promised half his earnings if he won the lottery to his waitress in lieu of a tip, then the officer goes on to win and split his earnings with her. That's one big coincidence and the movie decided to veer into that by making this a fable and adding coincidence after coincidence. When watched as a fable, Nic Cage and Bridget Fonda do a solid job of playing the nicest people on Earth. Rosie Perez and Stanley Tucci ham it up as the evil exes. Wendell Pierce is delightful as the sounding board best friend.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: There isn't much subtlety to it at all. Cage is the best person in the world. Fonda becomes the next best person in the world by knowing him. Perez and Tucci are monsters. Nothing has much shading to it. The intent is to make you feel good about humanity again, and it's a solid effort in that regard.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend