A Simple Twist of Fate

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A Simple Twist of Fate

PG-13

Released Sep 2, 1994

1h 46m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

43%

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21 Reviews

56%

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10,000+ Ratings

Small-town recluse Michael McCann (Steve Martin) lives an isolated existence until unusual events pull him out of his shell. After his beloved coin collection is stolen, an orphaned toddler suddenly appears at his house. Unknown to Michael, who adopts the little girl, she is the illegitimate child of local politician John Newland (Gabriel Byrne), who keeps his secret to protect his reputation. Later, however, Newland decides to go public with his revelation, leading to a custody battle.

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Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C

Jan 1, 2011

Full Review

Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Dreary, misconceived movie about a man redeemed by the love of a child.

Rated: 2/5

Sep 5, 2002

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Nov 8, 2005

Full Review

Chuck O'Leary

Fantastica Daily

Rated: 2/5

Oct 6, 2005

Full Review

Michael A. Smith

Nolan's Pop Culture Review

One of Steve Martins most underated performances

Rated: 4/5

Apr 22, 2005

Full Review

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Alain E

On IMDb, whose ratings Prime Video imports, this disaster has very high score. At least this site is more realistic. Despite well known actors, this is slow and disjointed. I wasted 20 minutes more than it deserves.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/20/25

Full Review

tachyon1024

Based on the classic book Silas Mariner, if you are looking for over the top, silly comedy, you will be disappointed. It is actually an emotionaly deep, well written movie. From the shock of his wife's affair and pregnancy that drives a man into seclusion, to his eventual love for an orphaned child.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

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Steve D

Not a great script but Martin makes it work.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Ending was a bit silly but not a bad movie 2.9

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/18/22

Full Review

Audience Member

I Actually Would Have Preferred This Film Not Be Made As The Character Steve Martin Plays Here Does Not Suit His Style, Clearly A Part He Thought Would Work For Him, Having Executive Produced & Screen-Played It Too.. A Rework Of "Silas Marner" But A Modernist Update. A Real Misjudged Move As The Period Doesn't Suit The Updated Variations.. Live & Learn..Mistake Made. Move On Steve..Stick To Comedy.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

tom m

An older film that was down pretty low in my Netflix dvd queue. I'm not quite sure why Netflix chose to send it to me at this time. Oh well. It was okay. I think I just had it in the queue because I like Steve Martin and the other headline actors.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Gillies MacKinnon

Director

Steve Martin

Michael McCann

Gabriel Byrne

John Newland

Laura Linney

Nancy Lambert Newland

Catherine O'Hara

April Simon

Stephen Baldwin

Tanny Newland

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Synopsis

Small-town recluse Michael McCann (Steve Martin) lives an isolated existence until unusual events pull him out of his shell. After his beloved coin collection is stolen, an orphaned toddler suddenly appears at his house. Unknown to Michael, who adopts the little girl, she is the illegitimate child of local politician John Newland (Gabriel Byrne), who keeps his secret to protect his reputation. Later, however, Newland decides to go public with his revelation, leading to a custody battle.

Director: Gillies MacKinnon
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 2, 1994, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.4M
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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