A Simple Twist of Fate

This film is a little bittersweet, but I found it to be surprisingly good. There were some stilted scenes, but on the whole I thought it was a good movie. Steve Martin is a fine drama actor, and I found his portrayal of McCann to be excellent. The girls they got to play Mathilda were just fantastic. The extra touches to the storyline, and the "twist" of fate that binds the story together, really make this story shine. It's not your typical Steve Martin story (he wrote the script), but it's not a bad one, either. The directing is good, too. There are some really well-directed scenes -- the coins, the auto accident, the weather balloon. It really ties the movie together. I'd watch it again, and I'd recommend it to friends. Not perfect, but not bad.

Strangely, not one of the Steve Martin movies that spring to mind often, "A Simple Twist of Fate" seems to hit all the right notes. Tragic circumstances leave Martin embittered and reclusive until an orphaned child walks into his life. Cue the rehumanization process. Sure, it's a Hollywood movie, so the kid's gotta be adorable, but it's effective storytelling nonetheless. The movie grinds to a halt when the second half becomes a custody battle; I've never read Silas Marner, but you just know with that sentimental score, everything will somehow turn out right. The courtroom drama just feels drawn out. But at its heart, this is about a man and his little girl, and that hits me where I live. 7/10

A touching and sensitive retelling of Silas Marner, A Simple Twist of Fate provides Steve Martin with the role of a lifetime. His characterization is nothing short of stunning. This finely crafted and superbly written film is backed up by strong supporting performances and masterful direction. The girls who played Mathilda were perfectly cast and absolutely stole my heart. I rank A Simple Twist of Fate right up there with Jimmy Stewart's It's a Wonderful Life and it's one of the sweetest movies I've ever seen!

Something very different for Steve Martin as he portrays a man who divorced his wife when he found out that the child they expected was not his. Enter another child in his life when a young woman dies on her way to the baby girl's wealthy political father. The father, who knew this was his child when he saw the dead woman, made no effort to claim the child as his. Instead, the child stays with Martin who loves her dearly and takes care of her in a manner of a true parent. 10 years later, the real father, Gabriel Byrne and his wife, Laura Linney, are childless and when Martin brings the child along with him to deliver furniture, Byrne confesses to all that he is the father of the child and a custody battle ensues. These custody battles are very cliché in movies. Of course, everyone is wooed by the child's kind words for Martin. The ending is unexpected, but a good one. Everyone gets what they deserve.

In a departure from his usual roles, Steve Martin plays a lonely man who adopts a girl after she happens into his house. "A Simple Twist of Fate" is an almost mystifying movie, and a very good one. While there are certainly some funny parts, it's mainly about how the entry of this girl into his existence changes the course of his life, and also turns out to have a link to something else in his life. The movie has really good character development. Along with Martin, there's Gabriel Byrne as a slimy politician, Laura Linney as his unfulfilled wife, and Catherine O'Hara as a shopkeeper who helps Martin. This is a movie that I very much recommend to everyone.

This has to be one of the sweetest movies ever made. I thought Steve Martin was great in this. He's a good comedian but he proves he can handle drama very well. I think it was very well made and bring tears to my eyes every time I watch it. It's a great modern version of the classic 'Silas Marner' by George Eliot (whom by the way was a woman!). Overall, I give it an 8/10.