I do not even remember how I came to watch this movie. I think my mother had bought it at one of those big Blockbuster sales for like two dollars, but I found that this was a very good movie.

Steve Martin plays a man who is excited about the prospect of becoming a new dad, but "A Horrible Twist of Fate" causes him to live in solitude in a small town. He knows next to no one in this town, except for an antique shop owner, wonderfully played by Catherine O'Hara of "Home Alone" fame. He hoards the money he earns making furniture in the form of gold, so he actually has quite a bit of money. Unfortunately, by "An Ugly Twist of Fate", his gold is stolen from him.

Soon after, a woman and her baby daughter are wandering near Martin's home in the middle of winter. The mother dies and the child walks in to his house. They quickly bond, but he takes her to a party where everyone in town is at. No one claims her, even though the father is there. So, Martin takes it upon himself to raise her, and you can see the positive change in him throughout the movie.

By "A Mean Twist of Fate" the biological father decides that he wants his daughter back, so he takes Martin to court. The father, played by the ever-fabulous, Gabriel Byrne, cannnot have children with his wife and they are lonely. They see the wonderful girl that Martin has raised and decide that they want her, and want to give her a better life.

The daughter, called Mathilda, is played by four different girls, all of which are cute in their own way. The first is a baby and she has the cutest facial expressions. The second reminds me of when my younger sister was little. She always has a mischievious glint in her eye and likes to get into trouble. The third is little girl cute, especially on her first day of school. The oldest girl a more mature Mathilda and proves to be very intelligent. Part of watching the movie is getting to know each girl.

I feel bad for the bio-father and his wife, but I feel even worse for Martin's character. He is so attached to Mathilda and is a very good father. I think the best part of the whole movie is the beginning when you see the bond that forms between Martin and Mathilda. It is also very entertaining to see him trying to learn how to care for a child, like heating the milk and what sort of punishments to impose ("What do I do? Decapitate her teddy bear?") He is very funny, but it's in a more subtle way then we are used to seeing Martin, even less so than his George Banks character from "Father of the Bride".

The end of the movie kind of loses its luster because it becomes very dramatic and somewhat unbelieveable, but I still the movie as a whole is wonderful. It is full of names like Martin, Byrne, O'Hara, Laura Linney, and Steven Baldwin. It even has the psycho gunwoman from Pulp Fiction. I think this movie is definitely worth a try. If you do not really like it, most likely, you will appreciate it.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12