Search - It Could Happen to You [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

Delightful

07/19/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Truly a delightful movie. I love the fact that the Charlie and Yvonne are so innocently just "doing the right thing" whilst staying so unassuming and carrying on with their lives. The scene at the end in their "darkest hour" almost had me in tears, and really showed out their true characters. A real heartwarming film - for a change I felt a well spent 90 minutes rather than an empty hour and half. Refreshingly different from the usual shallow romantic comedies out there which are all basically the same."

Blu-ray: The film deserves 4 stars, but the presentation on

Dennis A. Amith (kndy) | California | 05/06/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

""It Could Happen to You" was the surprise romantic comedy of the Summer of 1994 directed by Andrew Bergman (screenwriter for "The Freshman", "Fletch", "Striptease" and director of "Honeymoon in Vegas") and a screenplay by Jane Anderson (who has written for television series such as "The Facts of Life", "The Wonder Years" and most recently an episode of "Mad Men").



VIDEO & AUDIO:



One thing that people may see is the Blu-ray disc cover with photos that looks quite grainy and aged. Granted it was an artistic decision to use a water color style of filter to give a painted look but by no means should anyone judge the cover for the picture and audio quality of this High Definition transfer of "It Could Happen to You".



The film is presented in 1080p High Definition with an aspect ratio of 1:85:1. Although, the film does show a slight hint of age and the High Definition transfer does bring out the grain, you do get a bright and colorful look of New York City and overall, picture quality is well-done for a film that is 15-years-old compared to the original DVD. Like many films that came out in the 90's, many on Blu-ray tend to have some softness or dullness and "It Could Happen to You" joins that group.



To tell you the truth, "It Could Happen to You" is not a stellar transfer but its a very good transfer compared to the DVD.



The audio quality is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 in English, French and Portuguese and in Spanish 5.1. The film is primarily a dialogue driven film. Definitely more front channel speaker usage and rarely a need for the rear speakers or subwoofer in this film. Dialogue is heard clearly and I think that once in awhile, you do hear the sounds of New York and the ambiance but overall, audio quality is very good for a dialogue-driven film.



Music also plays a big part in giving us that New York feel but also that romantic sense with Frank Sinatra's "Young at Heart" playing during a scene at the old Yankee Stadium and of course beautiful classics such as Billie Holiday's "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Now It Can Be Told" and "Always" by Tony Bennett and more.



Subtitles featured are in English, English SDH, Portuguese, Spanish and French.



SPECIAL FEATURES:



Unfortunately, there are no special features included. The Blu-ray disc for "It Could Happen to You" is BD LIVE enabled.



JUDGMENT CALL:



"It Could Happen to You" is a romantic comedy that was in theaters in July 1994. The screenplay fits the "fairytale" or "Happy Ever After" storylines that were popping up in the early 90's courtesy of films such as "Pretty Woman" and "Sleepless in Seattle".



The film was an enjoyable romantic comedy that definitely had that Frank Capra style of being a "happily ever after" storyline.



Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda definitely were enjoyable to watch, while Rosie Perez's character really goes out of its way to make you really despise her. With "Pretty Woman" about rags-to-riches, "It Could Happen to You" goes a different way of money changing things but its all about how one responds to it. Charlie and Yvonne continue to want to live their simple lives, he as a cop and she as a waitress. Both have extremely kind and caring hearts while Muriel wants the best in life...the expensive clothes, plastic surgery and whatever fame it could bring her. A selfish attitude that helps drive the final wedge into her marriage with Charlie.



With Andrew Bergman in the helm as director, some may have wondered if the film would have been dark since his previous film such as "The Freshman" and "Honeymoon in Vegas" were anywhere near happy as this film but overall, Bergman did a good job capturing that New York magic and the emotions of the characters. While Jane Anderson did a good job in making sure the pacing was just right and giving us that "happily ever after", "feel good" type of film. In other words, the Bergman, Anderson and the entire film play it safe and never gets complicated.



Of course, the storyline of a police officer willing to share half his multi-million dollar winnings with a waitress may seem farfetched but according to snopes.com, a similar story really did happen for real in 1984 with NYPD officer Robert Cunningham and Sal's Pizzeria waitress Phyllis Penzo.



It's the performances by all three talents that make this film so magical, believable and most of all enjoyable. And I like how the film would showcase the New York atmosphere from the city skyline to Yankee stadium.



Overall, "It Could Happen to You" is an enjoyable romantic comedy that even in 15-years-later, is given new life through it's new, beautiful Blu-ray transfer. This is probably the best we will ever see this film get.



If there was only one negative that I found with this release is the lack of any trailer, featurette, commentary or anything that would be considered a special feature. You do get trailers for upcoming films but that's about it.



All in all, "It Could Happen to You" is an enjoyable romantic comedy worth checking out!"