A Simple Twist of Fate
Encyclopedia
A Simple Twist of Fate is a 1994
American
dramedy film
directed by Gillies MacKinnon
. The screenplay by Steve Martin
is loosely based on the 1861 novel Silas Marner
by George Eliot
.
. 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.
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."
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."
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."
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 .
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.
1994 in film
1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
dramedy film
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
directed by Gillies MacKinnon
Gillies MacKinnon
Gillies MacKinnon is a Scottish film director and writer.His film credits include Hideous Kinky, Small Faces and Regeneration.-Personal life:...
. The screenplay by Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
is loosely based on the 1861 novel Silas Marner
Silas Marner
Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe is a dramatic novel by George Eliot. Her third novel, it was first published in 1861. An outwardly simple tale of a reclusive weaver, in its strong realism it represents one of Eliot's most sophisticated treatments of her attitude to religion.-Plot summary:The...
by George Eliot
George Eliot
Mary Anne Evans , better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, journalist and translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era...
.
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 VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. 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
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
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 MartinSteve MartinStephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
as Michael McCann - Alana AustinAlana AustinAlana Austin is an American film and television actress. She played the role of Abby Logan in the sitcom Ink and starred in the Disney Channel Original film Motocrossed.-Career:Austin was born in Palm Springs, California...
as Mathilda McCann (age 12) - Gabriel ByrneGabriel ByrneGabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, writer, cultural ambassador and audiobook narrator. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined Londo's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's screen debut came in the Irish soap opera The Riordans and the...
as John Newland - Laura LinneyLaura LinneyLaura Leggett Linney is an American actress of film, television, and theatre. Linney has won three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for three times for an Academy Award and once for a BAFTA Award...
as Nancy Newland - Catherine O'HaraCatherine O'HaraCatherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian-American actress and comedienne. She is well known for her comedy work on SCTV, and her roles in the films After Hours, Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and also in the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest...
as April Simon - Stephen BaldwinStephen BaldwinStephen Andrew Baldwin is an American actor, director, producer and author. One of the Baldwin brothers, he is known for his roles as William F. Cody in the western show The Young Riders and as Stuart in the movie Threesome...
as Danny Newland
Critical reception
Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
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
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
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."
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."
According to Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, "The pairing of Steve Martin and 19th-century novelist George Eliot seems about as likely an artistic union as Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
adapting Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist. She is best known for the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women was set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and published in 1868...
. 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."
Box office
The film opened on 319 screens on Labor DayLabor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
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 .
Awards and nominations
Alana Austin was nominated for the Young Artist AwardYoung Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
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.