Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

A Simple Twist of Fate Blu-ray Movie Review

A sweet-hearted and charming family drama (with some light comedy interspersed), A Simple Twist of Fate explores adoption by a single-father with a unique storyline which gives another chance for the great comedian (actor, writer, musician) Steve Martin to show his chops. Produced by Ric Kidney (Flight of the Phoenix, Four Brothers), the film is a sentimental slice of 1990's filmmaking worth checking out and sharing with the family.

Michael McCann (Steve Martin) may just be at his wits end in life. McCann is having some difficulties in his personal life and things just aren't looking up for him. Things start to change with a simple twist of fate: adoption. The new father of a young baby girl, McCann raises Mathilda to be his own. The two become inseparable.

As the girl grows up from infancy, the 10 year old Mathilda (Alana Austin) starts to spend time visiting her birth-father John Newland (Gabriel Byrne) without awareness that he is her natural-birth dad who abandoned her while she was an infant. John has wealth that Michael simply doesn't have at his discretion and he tries to impress her by giving her a dream horse and rewarding her for the time she spends with him. Things start to become complicated as John starts to wish that he had never parted ways with his infant child. John wants Michael to lose custody.

Attempting to bring Mathilda back into his world and into the life of his spouse, Nancy Lambert Newland (Laura Linney), a roaring custody battle ensues in the courtroom. With heart, humor, and plenty of drama in equal-measure, A Simple Twist of Fate explores exactly what it means to be family. Sometimes family is not what you expect.

Family first.

Though A Simple Twist of Fate might not be an outright classic, there's a lot to appreciate about the film and it's abundant sentimentality. Though some viewers might not enjoy films that wear their hearts on their sleeve, the right formula can sometimes work wonders. Steve Martin penned the screenplay (as inspired by a novel by George Eliot) and makes the work his own. Having written a number of excellent scripts over the years to classic films such as Roxanne, The Jerk, and L.A. Story, Martin again showcases his ability to craft a story which engages with ample drama, comedy, and characterization.

The original score composed by Cliff Eidelman (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Triumph of the Spirit) is a bit exaggerated with regards to its sentimental approach in orchestration but it manages to fit the material well regardless. The cinematography by Andrew Dunn (The Bodyguard, The Perks of Being a Wallflower) has impressive visuals and helps to tell the story with a storybook-like approach that charms. Andy Harris (Sunset Song, Behind the Lines) provides a capable production design that enhances the filmmaking with an authenticity which simply works.

A Simple Twist of Fate director Gillies MacKinnon (Trojan Eddie, The Playboys) shapes the screenplay by Martin by bringing out an impressive performance from the gifted actor/writer/executive producer. Through their impressive collaboration together, the film manages to succeed as a charming family-drama that tugs at the heart and reaches a satisfying conclusion. While not a perfect film, A Simple Twist of Fate has more than enough charisma to make the journey worthwhile.

A Simple Twist of Fate Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from distributor Kino Lorber as a standalone release, A Simple Twist of Fate features a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The encode quality isn't entirely flawless but it's still a reasonably engaging and filmic presentation which one cannot write off as being a total disappointment. Skin tones on the transfer look somewhat underwhelming at times and the film has a bit too much filtering on the image (which is certainly a minor annoyance). Though these drawbacks prevent the transfer from looking as naturalistic as one may hope for it doesn't completely deter the presentation from being enjoyable.

The scan utilized for the release has some specks of dirt and minor scratches in a few scenes but there is nothing too noticeable to detract from the overall experience. For the most part, it's a clean transfer which retains the naturally soft cinematography. There's absolutely nothing extraordinary about the presentation but it's also a reasonable transfer nonetheless. A watchable if underwhelming transfer.

A Simple Twist of Fate Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a lossless 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This is a surprisingly robust presentation which has excellent highs with superb clarity and detail. The dialogue reproduction is outstanding. This dialogue-heavy film makes full-effect of the soundstage when it finds moments capable of expanding on the mix and the music score comes through with excellent fidelity. The resolution on the audio track sounds terrific and it's certainly a satisfactory audio mix for the Kino release. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

A Simple Twist of Fate Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

A Simple Twist of Fate Trailer (SD, 00:34)

The release includes the following trailers for other releases from distributor Kino Lorber: Father Hood (SD, 1:34), Life with Mikey (SD, 1:52), and Billy Bathgate (SD, 1:45).

A Simple Twist of Fate Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A Simple Twist of Fate is a reasonably charming drama starring the always-great Steve Martin. Though the film is far from being some kind of underrated classic to fawn over, it's a entertaining film which is peppered with some nice comedic moments throughout. The film pulls at the heartstrings and wears its sentimentality on its sleeve. This is a decent family drama which is worth sharing with loved ones.

The Blu-ray presentation features an average quality transfer and no supplemental materials (other than some trailers) so the release is certainly only decent at best. Given the low budget-friendly price tag on the release, it still deserves a modest recommendation. While it might not be worth double-dipping on Kino's Blu-ray release (for those who own the previously released double-feature presentation from Mill Creek), this edition is worth checking out for those who have yet to pick it up.