One of the great things about movies is that any trivial thing they do can suddenly become controversial.
For example: “It Could Happen to You,” or as some wish it still would be called, “Cop Gives Waitress $2 Million Tip.” The production was known by the latter title or variations thereof throughout its development and most of its pre-release period. The less tabloidish, cliched “Could Happen” was applied a few months ago.
The original title sounded less generic and it better described the film, in which Nicolas Cage’s New York policeman splits a winning lottery ticket with Bridget Fonda’s hard-luck hash-slinger. Other than that, big deal, right?
Well, some people think so. Both Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert expressed their dismay with the title change on their weekly movie review program, and Entertainment Weekly film critic Owen Gleiberman pontificated that “the decision to change the title may go down as one of the bigger blunders of the movie season.”
Before the scandal gets completely out of control, it’s only fair to give the producer of-oh, let’s call it “Cop Happens to Waitress”‘-a chance to explain himself.
“The other title was very catchy, but it just didn’t have the tone of the movie,” Mike Lobell said. “It sounded cheap. We felt it was a romantic movie that needed a romantic title.
“We loved that other title,” Lobell added, perhaps thinking damage control. “But the title we have now really suits the movie.
“It really is a double-entendre: `It Could Happen to You’ means that you could win the lottery, but you could also fall in love.”
![After weeks of area college students protesting the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza as part of a nationwide movement, leaders of Chicago’s Jewish community responded Wednesday by demanding action against hate speech as a group of Northwestern students filed suit against their school for allowing protests there to become “increasingly hostile to Jews.” Meanwhile, seven members of Northwestern’s President’s Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate stepped down to protest the university’s agreement with protesters. The agreement outlined a plan intended to allow demonstrations to continue while preventing the chaos and occasional violence that has engulfed other campuses across the country. […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/CTC-L-cps-sit-in-response02_189144560.jpg?w=525 "After weeks of area college students protesting the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza as part of a nationwide movement, leaders of Chicago’s Jewish community responded Wednesday by demanding action against hate speech as a group of Northwestern students filed suit against their school for allowing protests there to become “increasingly hostile to Jews.” Meanwhile, seven members of Northwestern’s President’s Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate stepped down to protest the university’s agreement with protesters. The agreement outlined a plan intended to allow demonstrations to continue while preventing the chaos and occasional violence that has engulfed other campuses across the country. […]")