Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

I tend to have the television on while I do other things around the house. There are times when I have found some good movies. Other times I’ve ended up seeing some stinkers. Outrageous Fortune is a movie I’ve seen on television and really enjoyed it.

Lauren Adams was an aspiring actress. She’d studied for years, but never had a paying job. She took fencing and ballet lessons because she thought it would help with her acting. Her goal was to play Hamlet. She was extremely excited when she saw that Stanislav Korzenowski, a well know acting teacher was accepting new students. She convinced her father to lend her $5,000 to pay for it.

Lauren was preparing for her audition for Korzenowski when Sandy arrived wanting to use the phone. She called the phone company and gave the guy a sob story to keep her phone from being cut off. She was going to make another call, but Lauren had been bothered by Sandy’s call and stopped her from making another. Sandy then decided that she wanted to audition too. She’d had a few small acting jobs. Lauren and Sandy were both accepted. Sandy got a scholarship, which upset Lauren greatly. The two women didn’t get along. Sandy hadn’t had any kind of acting training before. Lauren had a job working in a store that sold costumes. One day a teacher, Michael Sanders, came in looking for a pumpkin costume for a student. Lauren ended up offering to make it since the store didn’t have any pumpkin costumes. Lauren and Michael started to date.

Lauren had a bad day in the class. She met Michael after class, and he stopped to pick up something. The store exploded while he was inside. Lauren saw Sandy at the morgue. Sandy claimed that she had been involved with Michael too. The two women argued about whom Michael really loved, and then realized that the body at the morgue wasn’t Michael. They started to look for Michael. Each was convinced that Michael loved her. They still didn’t like each other, but they were working together to find Michael. Then end up having to deal with the CIA and KGB.

CAST

Shelley Long - Lauren Ames
Bette Midler - Sandy Brozinsky
Peter Coyote - Michael Sanders
Robert Prosky - Stanislav Korzenowski
John Schuck - Alkini
George Carlin - Frank Madras
Anthony Heald - Weldon

Arthur Hiller - Director

Outrageous Fortune was released in 1987. The movie was 100 minutes long and rated R. I have only seen the movie on television when it has been edited. I think that some swearing was removed. The movie is available on VHS and DVD.

I thought that Outrageous Fortune was a funny movie. There were several things that happened that made me laugh. Some things that happened were a bit silly or ridiculous, but that didn’t bother me. I didn’t expect this to be a serious movie, and it wasn’t. Shelley Long and Bette Midler were both funny in the movie. They worked well together. I thought that the movie was original. I don’t remember seeing one that had a plot quite like this before. I thought it was very entertaining and I really enjoyed it. The movie wasn’t so complicated that you had to really think to keep track of everything, but there was enough going on to keep it from being boring. This wasn’t a serious movie. People looking for a serious movie should look elsewhere.

There was a little bit of action in Outrageous Fortune, but it wasn’t an action-packed movie. There were a few chases in the movie, though even those were funny. There was some shooting and even an explosion or two to keep things interesting. Lauren and Sandy ended up in some dangerous situations a few times. There was a bit of violence in the movie and some people did end up dead. I didn’t think that the movie was that violent, but I have only seen a version that was edited for television. I’m not sure what was edited out, so there could be more violence in the R-rated version. I don’t think there would be a problem with an older child seeing the edited version. Parents should check out the R rated version first to see if there is something in it they don’t want their kids exposed to. Younger children probably wouldn’t be interested in the movie.

Lauren and Sandy were both involved with Michael, though neither knew about the other until it looked like he was dead. It was shown how Lauren and Michael met. After that, they were shown together briefly before he went into the store that exploded. Very little of their relationship was shown since that happened so early in the movie. There wasn’t any nudity, but there might be in the R rated version. There wasn’t a lot of focus on romance in the movie, but the relationships both women had with Michael caused them to do what they did to try to find him. Their search for Michael and desire to find out just what was going on was the main focus of the movie.

I thought that the acting in Outrageous Fortune was good, though it wasn’t anything too special. Shelley Long used some different accents throughout the movie when Lauren used her acting ability in a few situations. She spoke with one accent once that was a bit over done, but it wasn’t too bad. I think it was supposed to be a New York or Brooklyn accent. Shelley Long has made several movies, though she is probably most known for playing Diane Chambers on Cheers. Bette Midler went a little over the top as Sandy at times, but that worked for the character. She was believable in the part. I have seen her in several movies and always enjoy her performances. Peter Coyote was fine as Michael. He wasn’t around as much as Shelley and Bette were. Robert Prosky was good as Stanislav Korzenowski. He used a thick accent, but it wasn’t impossible to understand him. He had a small role in Death to Smoochy a few years ago. George Carlin turned up in a few scenes as Frank, a man that ended up helping Lauren and Sandy.

CHARACTERS

Lauren - She’d devoted her life to studying to be an actress. She took fencing and ballet lessons. She hoped to play Hamlet, even though she was a woman. She did have talents, and they helped her during her search for Michael.

Sandy - She knew how to con people for different things. She had been in a few low budget movies, and decided to audition for the class on the spur of the moment. She and Lauren didn’t get along. Sandy thought the other woman was stuck up. Sandy had no formal acting training. She could be nice, but she also had a temper.

Michael - The man that got involved with Lauren and Sandy. He lied to both women and then faked his death for some reason.

Stanislav Korzenowski - Well known acting teacher. Lauren was thrilled to have the chance to study with him. He was rough on his students.

Outrageous Fortune is an entertaining, though somewhat silly movie. I have enjoyed it every time I have seen it, and would probably pick up the DVD if I was able to find it reasonably priced. Fans of Shelley Long or Bette Midler will probably enjoy the movie.

Related Reviews
Death to Smoochy


Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12