It Could Happen to You (1994)

Highly unusual and enjoyable romantic comedy drama. A New York cop called Charlie (Nic Cage) wins the lottery and – honouring a promise – donates half of the money to a waitress called Yvonne (Bridget Fonda) who he’d never met before. 

As with A Simple Plan, in which Fonda also featured, it explores what happens to poor people who suddenly have money. The twist this time is that Charlie and Yvonne are such kind people that – unlike their selfish spouses – they cannot be corrupted by their windfall. 

The big flaw is Rosie Perez gratingly hamming it up as Charlie’s wife Muriel. She’s almost unbearable to watch. The character is clearly meant to be annoying, but maybe they took it too far. Cage and Fonda, however, are both tremendous. There’s great chemistry between them, and their gentle romance is sweet and charming. 

All in all, it's refreshingly different.