A Simple Twist of Fate

For the Bob Dylan song with a similar name, see Simple Twist of Fate.

A Simple Twist Of Fate
Original poster
Directed by	Gillies MacKinnon
Produced by	Steve Martin Ric Kidney Karen Snow
Written by	Steve Martin Based on a novel by George Eliot
Starring	Steve Martin Gabriel Byrne Laura Linney Catherine O'Hara
Music by	Cliff Eidelman
Cinematography	Andrew Dunn
Editing by	Humphrey Dixon
Distributed by	Touchstone Pictures
Release date(s)	September 2, 1994 (USA) September 22, 1995  United Kingdom
Running time	106 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$3,430,583

A Simple Twist of Fate is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Gillies MacKinnon. The screenplay by Steve Martin is loosely based on the 1861 novel Silas Marner by George Eliot.

Plot

When high school music teacher Michael McCann discovers his wife is pregnant by another man, the couple divorce and Michael retreats into a life of solitude as a maker of finely crafted furniture in rural Virginia. Five years later, he lives in a small town, his only companion a valuable collection of gold coins. But his heart is set to be hurt again when Danny Newland, the unsavory younger brother of politician John Newland, crashes his brother's car outside the woods surrounding Michael's house. Desperate to recoup the loss of the car, Danny steals Michael's coins while he is sleeping and takes off into the night and is never seen again.

Shortly after, in the middle of a winter storm, Michael is startled to discover a toddler has wandered into his home while he was outside gathering wood. A short distance from his house he discovers the body of her mother, a heroin addict whose car had run out of gas nearby. Unbeknownst to him, the child is the illegitimate daughter of John Newland, who participates in the investigation but keeps his relationship to the little girl a secret in order to protect his career.

Michael is permitted to adopt the child and christens her Mathilda. She proves to be a bit of a handful in her early years, but with the help of friend and local shopkeeper April Simon, Michael manages to raise her to be a bright, personable, precocious young lady, and the once sour, lonely man is transformed by her presence. As John Newland watches his daughter grow older, he begins to invite her to join him and his wife Nancy in their home and arranges for her to learn to ride a horse, eventually giving her one of her own.

Nancy has suffered two miscarriages and wants to adopt a child, but John resists and finally reveals Mathilda's true identity, and his desire to adopt Mathilda properly. Nancy encourages him to gain custody of the girl, and a trial ensues. Although the lawyer tries to manipulate the court and Mathilda herself to see that the Newlands are the better parents, Mathilda herself still refuses and honestly prefers Michael. The judge is inclined to side with the Newlands, given their wealth and ability to provide Mathilda with advantages she never would have with Michael, including the Newlands' lawyer's unfriendly and partly fabricated prosecution regarding Michael's divorce. Then the remains of Danny Newland - surrounded by the gold coins he had stolen from Michael - are found at the bottom of a quarry his brother was draining to create a lake surrounded by prime real estate he planned to sell for a tidy profit. Michael's sudden return to wealth (and the judge's private implication to John that he believes John killed his brother) turns the tide in his favor, and it is decided Mathilda will remain with him. The film ends with Mathilda visiting her late mother's grave.

Cast

• Steve Martin as Michael McCann
• Alana Austin as Mathilda McCann (age 12)
• Gabriel Byrne as John Newland
• Laura Linney as Nancy Newland
• Catherine O'Hara as April Simon
• Stephen Baldwin as Danny Newland

Critical reception

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film "warm and funny" and thought "there is a lot to like about [it]," but ultimately was disappointed with it on the whole. He observed, "Try as I might, I just couldn't accept this Victorian story in modern dress. The motivations seemed wrong (would 20th century people behave this way?), the plotting seemed contrived (as indeed it was), and the plot's habit of springing big surprises on us was too manipulative. This is not at all a bad movie, mind you, but a good movie gone wrong, through a simple twist of miscalculation." ^[1]

Hal Hinson of the Washington Post said, "When clowns write sad stories for themselves, the results are almost always disastrous. For A Simple Twist of Fate, Steve Martin not only wrote the screenplay ... but also executive-produced the project, creating for himself a character that is about as different from his typical roles as can be imagined. And if the exercise isn't precisely disastrous, it comes very close to it ... Perhaps it's a stretch for a performer with such remarkable charisma to play someone who is without it ... Martin does a skillful job of nullifying himself, and he does present a side of himself that has been glimpsed only briefly. But what a joyless accomplishment it is. As a comic, Martin soars, but here he has clipped his own wings." ^[2]

According to Variety, "The pairing of Steve Martin and 19th-century novelist George Eliot seems about as likely an artistic union as Oliver Stone adapting Louisa May Alcott. Yet A Simple Twist of Fate - inspired by Silas Marner - betrays no tell-tale strains of clashing sensibilities. Martin leavens the material somewhat, but this is a faithful, heartfelt, somber piece about family and responsibility." ^[3]

Box office

The film opened on 319 screens on Labor Day weekend and earned $1,404,904 over a four-day period, ranking #19 among all releases. It eventually grossed $3,430,583 at the domestic box office.^[4]

Awards and nominations

Alana Austin was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Best Performance by a Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture for her portrayal of twelve-year-old Mathilda. Her younger sister Alyssa was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress Under Ten in a Motion Picture for her portrayal of the character at the age of five.

References

External links

• A Simple Twist of Fate at the Internet Movie Database