During the 1920s, the "Mann Act" Prohibited transporting a woman across state lines for "immoral purposes". Therefore, Nick (Warren Beatty), eager to run off to California with his sweetheart Freddie (Stockard Channing), arranges for her to marry his friend Oscar (Jack Nicholson) until his divorce is final. Oscar agrees, banking on the notion that marriage to an heiress could only prove financially rewarding. However, nobody bargained for love and lust to turn this simple business arrangement into a confused lovers' triangle! Ultimately, the only way Oscar and Nick can expect to benefit from Freddie's wealth without killing each other is to kill her and split the inheritance fifty-fifty. But will their desire for her fortune overcome their affection for Freddie herself?
Audio commentary with critic and film historian Nick Pinkerton
Mike Nichols and Elaine May in Conversation (2006, 69 mins): the two friends and collaborators discuss many aspects of filmmaking after a screening of May's Ishtar at New York's Walter Reade Theater
Professor Kyle Stevens on 'The Fortune' (2017, 6 mins): a new filmed appreciation by the author of Mike Nichols: Sex, Language, and the Reinvention of Psychological Realism
We use cookies to help you navigate our website and to keep track of our promotional efforts. Some cookies are necessary for the site to operate normally while others are optional. To find out what cookies we are using please visit Cookies Policy.