- Outrageous Fortune (film)
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Outrageous Fortune 
Theatrical release posterDirected by Arthur Hiller Produced by Ted Field
Robert W. CortWritten by Leslie Dixon Starring Shelley Long
Bette Midler
Peter Coyote
Robert Prosky
George CarlinMusic by Alan Silvestri Cinematography David M. Walsh Editing by Tom Rolf Studio Silver Screen Partners II
Interscope CommunicationsDistributed by Touchstone Pictures Release date(s) January 30, 1987 Running time 100 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $25 million Box office $65,864,741 Outrageous Fortune is a 1987 film written by Leslie Dixon, directed by Arthur Hiller, and stars Shelley Long and Bette Midler. The title is taken from Shakespeare's Hamlet ("... the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, ...").
Midler received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and won an American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role).
Plot
Refined actress Lauren Ames (Shelley Long) finally has a chance to study with the great theatre professor Stanislav Korzenowski (Robert Prosky). Sandy Brozinsky (Bette Midler), a brash, loud actress, decides through happenstance to also study with Korzenowski. Lauren and Sandy take an instant dislike to each other when they first meet in Korzenowski's class, but unknown to each other, both women begin dating the same man, Michael Sanders (Peter Coyote).
When Michael "dies" in a gas explosion at a local store, Lauren and Sandy figure out that Michael may have faked his death, and they form an uneven alliance to follow leads across the country to find him and force him to choose between them. During their quest, Lauren and Sandy are chased by CIA agents, as well as Russian assassins who are also after Michael.
When Lauren and Sandy finally find Michael, he instead tries to kill both of them and they are forced to run until they are captured by the federal agents. Lauren and Sandy learns that Michael is a double agent for the CIA who has now gone rogue, and he also works for KGB, and has stolen a toxin that could destroy huge areas of nature with even a few drops. The CIA wants to find Michael to force him to give back the toxin bio-weapon, while the Russian assassins are men cheated by the double agent whom work for Korzenowski, the ladies theatre professor.
The chase leads to rural Arizona when Lauren is taken hostage by Michael and his rogue associates whom force a trade with the CIA for the toxin, and with Korzenowski with the stolen cash he intened to give to Michael. When the trade goes awry, Lauren gets away with both the money and the toxin, with Michael in hot pursuit, cornered on a series of mountain tops, Lauren uses her former ballet skills to evade him, culminating in a grand Jeté, as pursuing Michael slips and is killed on the rocks far below whilst the money is lost to native Indians. The women form a lasting friendship, and go on to perform Hamlet together, with Lauren in the title role.
Cast
- Shelley Long as Lauren Ames
- Bette Midler as Sandy Brozinsky
- Peter Coyote as Michael Sanders
- Robert Prosky as Stanislav Korzenowski
- George Carlin as Frank Madras
- John Schuck as Agent Atkins
- Anthony Heald as Weldon
- Chris McDonald as George
Both Shelley Long and Bette Midler were promised top billing when they signed to do the film. Neither one wanted to give up top billing to the other. So west of the Mississippi River, Long got top billing and Midler got top billing east of the Mississippi. Bette Midler was three months pregnant when filming began and six months pregnant when it wrapped.
External links
Films directed by Arthur Hiller 1950s The Careless Years (1957)1960s Miracle of the White Stallions (1963) • The Wheeler Dealers (1963) • The Americanization of Emily (1964) • Promise Her Anything (1965) • Penelope (1966) • Tobruk (1967) • The Tiger Makes Out (1967) • Popi (1969)1970s The Out-of-Towners (1970) • Love Story (1970) • Plaza Suite (1971) • The Hospital (1971) • Man of La Mancha (1972) • The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder (1974) • The Man in the Glass Booth (1975) • W.C. Fields and Me (1976) • Silver Streak (1976) • The In-Laws (1979) • Nightwing (1979)1980s Making Love (1982) • Author! Author! (1982) • Romantic Comedy (1983) • The Lonely Guy (1984) • Teachers (1984) • Outrageous Fortune (1987) • See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989)1990s Taking Care of Business (1990) • Married to It (1991) • The Babe (1992) • Carpool (1996) • An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997)2000s National Lampoon's Pucked (2006)Bette Midler Studio albums Soundtracks Live albums Compilations The Best of Bette (1978) · The Best of Bette (1981) · Just Hits · Experience the Divine · Jackpot: The Best Bette · Memories of YouTours Kiss My Brass · The Showgirl Must Go OnFilms Hawaii (1966) · The Rose (1979) · Divine Madness! (1980) · Jinxed! (1982) · Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) · Ruthless People (1986) · Outrageous Fortune (1987) · Big Business (1988) · Oliver & Company (1988) · Beaches (1988) · Stella (1990) · Scenes from a Mall (1991) · For the Boys (1991) · Hocus Pocus (1993) · Get Shorty (1995) · The First Wives Club (1996) · That Old Feeling (1997) · Drowning Mona (2000) · Isn't She Great (2000) · What Women Want (2000) · The Stepford Wives (2004) · Then She Found Me (2007) · The Women (2008)Television Categories:- 1987 films
- American films
- English-language films
- 1980s comedy films
- Comedy mystery films
- Films directed by Arthur Hiller
- Touchstone Pictures films
- Female buddy films
- Films set in New Mexico
- Films set in New York City
- Films shot in New Mexico
- American action comedy films
- Interscope Communications films
- Titles derived from the works of William Shakespeare
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