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A Simple Twist of Fate

Play trailer Poster for A Simple Twist of Fate PG-13 Released Sep 2, 1994 1h 46m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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43% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 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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A Simple Twist of Fate

Critics Reviews

View All (21) Critics Reviews
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 Full Review 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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (188) audience reviews
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 Full Review 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 Audience Member This is an awesome movie. It's too bad it didn't do better. Both Steve Martin & Laura Linney should've received Oscars for their performances & Steve Marin should've won for his screenplay as well. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
A Simple Twist of Fate

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

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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