The Raffle
USA 1994
Starring: Mark Hamill
Credit: Bernard Wallace
In a worldwide search for the most beautiful woman, sometimes you only need
to look to your heart.
Review: Frank Palmer is a lazy guy, looking for an easy, get rich quick
scheme. David Lake, his buddy, works for Ace Advertising but is never on time,
always bailed out by his secretary Margo, and finally gets fired.
Frank has had this recurring dream of a beautiful woman beckoning him in a
forest only to hand him a blue silky scarf with sequins. Shortly after the
story begins, he actually sees this woman crossing the street and follows her.
As if in a trance, he stops in the street and gets hit by a truck. "She" is
one of many who come to his aid and she has with her, of course, the scarf
from the dream. Now he knows his get rich scheme: a worldwide search for the
most beautiful woman. Sell 500,000 raffle tickets at $10 each (that's 5
million dollars). Give the woman a million, the lucky guy gets to go on the
ultimate dinner date and live in luxury for 1 year, leaving him (Frank) rich!
Let's throw in advertising costs; oh wait, David just got fired!! What if
the winning guy is a nut case? What if the girl is a nut case? worries
David. What could go wrong, argues Frank; she'll be perfect, he'll be perfect!
Hmmm, let me introduce you to Bernard Wallace (aka Mark), a quiet, shy man
who lives out in the country and raises Shar Pei's. His last date was with
his friend's sister. It started out great: a few drinks. conversation...then
it gets hazy after he knocks the candles over while reaching for her hand.
The smoke, the yelling, the sirens. . .
So what happens to Frank and his scheme; David and his job; his ever-ready
friend and former secretary Margo; "the girl" with the scarf; Bernard and
his puppies; and the Raffle?? Well, things get worse before they get
better, but there are some beautiful shots of scenery from around the world:
Paris, London, Sydney, to name a few.
Guys *might* watch this to see all the pretty "chics" in it; gals will
watch it to see how the relationships pan out. But a word of caution: some of
the women who come to Frank and David to "audition" think beauty is lower,
(Yipes!) than their face. Be prepared for scantily dressed women.
