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Comedy

Outrageous Fortune (1987): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot

Outrageous Fortune (1987) movie poster

Outrageous Fortune is a 1987 comedy directed by Arthur Hiller, starring Shelley Long, Robert Prosky and Bette Midler. It runs 1 hour 39 minutes and earned $52.9 million worldwide. It earned 1 award nomination, including Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Actress) at the Golden Globes 1988. Critics gave it 58% on Rotten Tomatoes and 55 on Metacritic.

Rotten Tomatoes
58%
worldwide gross
$52.9M
award nomination
1
Metascore
55
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Outrageous Fortune (1987) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 39m (99 min)
Director
Arthur Hiller
Genre
Comedy
Original language
English
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Outrageous Fortune About?

The premise of Outrageous Fortune without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Two aspiring actresses, Sandy Borzinsky and Lauren Ames, find their ambitions and personal lives colliding in this comedic tale. Their rivalry intensifies when they unexpectedly share the same boyfriend, Michael Sanders. Pursuing him leads them on a hilarious and surprising journey through Hollywood, revealing a complicated situation involving espionage and hidden identities that tests their friendship and understanding of love.

Outrageous Fortune Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • woman dresses as a man
  • woman wears eyeglasses
  • woman with a gun
  • child with a gun
  • gun
  • man and woman share a bed
  • man dresses as a woman
  • man wears eyeglasses
  • cia central intelligence agency
  • knocked unconscious
  • female police officer
  • police
+38 more
  • car
  • u.s. car
  • jeep cj 5
  • road trip
  • on the road
  • buddy
  • buddy movie
  • reference to penis size
  • women
  • new mexico
  • two women have sex with the same man
  • two timing lover
  • penis size
  • dead body
  • hippie
  • bearded man
  • mutilated corpse
  • russian theatre director
  • penis
  • madcap comedy
  • acting class
  • role reversal
  • laundry chute
  • female female relationship
  • blue vinyl raincoat
  • romanticism versus pragmatism
  • sex
  • male elementary school teacher
  • dead lover
  • country and western music
  • love triangle
  • baggage cart
  • aspiring actress
  • gay character
  • female buddy movie
  • romantic rivalry
  • mustached man
  • escape
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Cast & crew

Outrageous Fortune Cast

Shelley Long leads the cast, with Robert Prosky and Bette Midler. Directed by Arthur Hiller; 9 actors are credited in all.

From the director

More from Arthur Hiller

More films directed by Arthur Hiller, best-rated first: The Hospital, The Out of Towners, The In-Laws and The Americanization of Emily.

Full filmography
Ratings

Outrageous Fortune Reviews & Ratings

Critics gave Outrageous Fortune 58% on Rotten Tomatoes and 55 on Metacritic.

Plot

Outrageous Fortune Plot Summary

What happens in Outrageous Fortune from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

As the refined yet troubled actress Lauren Ames (Shelley Long) embarks on a transformative journey guided by the esteemed theatre professor Stanislav Korzenowski (Robert Prosky), her path takes an unexpected turn when she crosses paths with the boisterous and outspoken Sandy Brozinsky (Bette Midler). The initial interaction between these two actresses is marked by underlying tensions, as their mutual disdain simmers just beneath the surface. Unbeknownst to them, they find themselves entangled in a complex web of relationships with Michael Santers (Peter Coyote), a charismatic individual whose life takes a devastating twist following an explosive incident at a local store that leaves much speculation about his fate.

Full summary

The whole story of Outrageous Fortune, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

Outrageous Fortune Box Office

Outrageous Fortune grossed $52.9 million worldwide.

1987 box office

Worldwide gross

$52.9M

US & Canada
$52.9M
Awards

Outrageous Fortune Awards & Nominations

Outrageous Fortune earned 1 award nomination, including Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Actress) at the Golden Globes 1988.

1 nomination1 ceremony

Quiz

How Well Do You Know Outrageous Fortune?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

Who plays the role of Lauren Ames?

Cars

Cars in Outrageous Fortune

53 cars on screen, including the Jeep CJ-5 and the 1985 Buick Regal.

All 53 cars
  • Jeep CJ-5 in Outrageous Fortune Jeep CJ-5 Important role
  • 1985 Buick Regal in Outrageous Fortune 1985 Buick Regal Minor role
  • 1978 Checker Taxicab in Outrageous Fortune 1978 Checker Taxicab Minor role
  • Clark CT in Outrageous Fortune Clark CT Minor role
Details

Outrageous Fortune Also Known As

15 alternative titles, including “Nichts als Ärger mit dem Typ” and “Enormt heldigt”.

Also known as
  • Nichts als Ärger mit dem Typ
  • Enormt heldigt
  • Una fortuna sfacciata
  • Неприличное везение
  • Une chance pas croyable
  • Increíble suerte
  • Изненађујућа судбина
  • Par i Damer
  • Szemérmetlen szerencse
  • Que Sorte Danada!
  • Zwariowane szczęście
  • 포춘
+3 more
  • Rozkacená sudba
  • הנוכל
  • האוהבת והמאהבת

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FAQ

Outrageous Fortune FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards

Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of Outrageous Fortune, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Outrageous Fortune?

Outrageous Fortune runs 1 hour 39 minutes (99 minutes).

When was Outrageous Fortune released?

Outrageous Fortune was released on January 30, 1987.

Who directed Outrageous Fortune?

Outrageous Fortune was directed by Arthur Hiller.

More films by Arthur Hiller

Who is in the cast of Outrageous Fortune?

Outrageous Fortune stars Shelley Long, Robert Prosky and Bette Midler, among 9 credited actors.

How much did Outrageous Fortune make at the box office?

Outrageous Fortune grossed $52.9 million worldwide.

How is Outrageous Fortune rated?

Outrageous Fortune has 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, 55 on Metacritic and 61% on TMDB.

Was Outrageous Fortune nominated for any awards?

Outrageous Fortune received 1 nomination across 1 ceremony.

Does Outrageous Fortune have a post-credit scene?

No. Outrageous Fortune has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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