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. Martin stars, along with Gabriel Byrne, Laura Linney, Catherine O'Hara and Stephen Baldwin.
Plot
When high school music teacher Michael McCann discovers his wife is pregnant by his best friend, he divorces her and retreats into a life of solitude as a maker of finely crafted furniture in rural Virginia. Five years later, his only companion is a valuable collection of gold coins. Tanny Newland, the unsavory younger brother of politician John Newland, crashes his brother's car in the woods surrounding Michael's house, seriously injuring the woman he is with. Afraid of being arrested for drunk driving, Tanny steals Michael's coins while he is sleeping, takes off into the night and is never seen again.
Weeks later during a winter storm, Michael is startled to discover a toddler has wandered into his home while he was outside gathering wood. A short distance away 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 out-of-wedlock daughter of John Newland, who participates in the investigation but keeps his relationship to the child 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 wife Nancy in their home. John arranges for her to learn to ride a horse, eventually giving her one of her own.
Due to Nancy's two miscarriages and the couple's deep desire to have a child, Nancy insists on adoption. John finally reveals Mathilda's true identity and his desire to adopt her 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. Then the remains of Tanny Newland - surrounded by the gold coins he stole from Michael - are found at the bottom of the quarry his brother was draining to create a lake surrounded by real estate he planned to sell.
Michael's sudden return to wealth - and the judge's realization that Tanny was most likely killed by his brother - convinces him that Mathilda should remain with Michael. The film ends with Michael taking Mathilda to visit her late mother's grave, in a remote potter's cemetery.
Cast
Steve Martin as Michael McCann
Carolyn McCormick as Elaine 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 Tanny Newland Michael Des Barres as Bryce
Release
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.
Reception
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film: "...warm and funny... there is a lot to like about [it].... 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.