A Simple Twist of Fate

A Simple Twist of Fate is currently streaming in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the US on Amazon Prime Video and Hoopla, and it delivers exactly the kind of comedy that earns a loyal following. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. With 131 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Watch it for Steve Martin — stay for everyone else around them. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Disney Plus.

A Simple Twist of Fate is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. A Simple Twist of Fate does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. When Michael McCann is thrown over by the woman he loves, he becomes something of a misanthrope and a miser, spending all of his spare money on collectible gold coins. Living in the same town is an affluent family with two sons: John and Tanny. Tanny's a wild boy, whom John cannot control, and one night he breaks into McCann's house, and steals the gold and disappears, which nearly confirms McCann's distrust of mankind. The chemistry Steve Martin and Gabriel Byrne bring to it does a lot of the heavy lifting. It was released in 1994. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and A Simple Twist of Fate holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Comedy fans looking for a reliably funny watch will find it in A Simple Twist of Fate. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Steve Martin sets the tone, but the supporting cast is where a lot of the best moments come from. A reliable pick for any night you want quality comedy without the homework.

A Simple Twist of Fate was released in 1994, directed by Gillies MacKinnon. The full 106-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.