They're both based on something else, actually, and believe it or not, that something is the truth.

It works like this: "Goodfellas" is a violent, shocking and fairly realistic telling of the rise of real-life mobster Henry Hill, up to his entry into the witness-protection program after testifying against his associates. "My Blue Heaven" is a lighthearted, comedic and not-so-realistic take on his subsequent attempts to get used to normal, suburban life.

What's almost as unbelievable is that the writers of the two movies were husband and wife.

"Goodfellas" was written by true-crime author Nicholas Pileggi, adapted from his own book, "Wiseguy." It was Pileggi's meticulous research about Hill that rubbed off on Nora Ephron, who was a little looser with the facts.

Hill himself explained, in an interview with "Grantland" magazine, that Ephron did her research by chance, talking to Hill on the phone when he was actually calling to talk to her husband. And he didn't mind when she turned these casual conversations into her own movie. "I bothered them so much I thought she earned that, so I didn't sue."

Both films were released in 1990, but "My Blue Heaven" was actually released a month earlier, so technically "Goodfellas" is a prequel.

It should also be noted, though, that "Goodfellas" is an Oscar-winning classic of American cinema while "My Blue Heaven" is considered one of the relatively few flops of Ephron's otherwise stellar career, so history is unlikely to pay much attention to the release dates.

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