Mr. Destiny (1990)

Unhappy Larry Burrows sees what his life could've been like, had he made that winning home run as a teenager.

Director:

James Orr

Writers:

James Orr, Jim Cruickshank

Stars:

James Belushi, Linda Hamilton, Michael Caine

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Belushi	...	Larry Joseph Burrows
Linda Hamilton	...	Ellen Jane Burrows / Robertson
Michael Caine	...	Mike / Mr. Destiny
Jon Lovitz	...	Clip Metzler
Hart Bochner	...	Niles Pender
Bill McCutcheon	...	Leo Hansen
Rene Russo	...	Cindy Jo Bumpess / Burrows
Jay O. Sanders	...	Jackie Earle 'Cement Head' Bumpers
Maury Chaykin	...	Guzelman
Pat Corley	...	Harry Burrows
Douglas Seale	...	Boswell
Courteney Cox	...	Jewel Jagger
Doug Barron	...	Lewis Flick
Jeff Weiss	...	Ludwig
Tony Longo	...	Huge Guy

Storyline

Larry Burrows is unhappy and feels powerless over his life. He believes his entire life could have turned out differently had he not missed that shot in a baseball game when was a kid. One night he meets this mysterious man, who could change his fate by offering him that alternative life he always dreamed of. But as Burrows embarks on this journey of self discovery he realises that even this new life has its problems and drawbacks..

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Plot Keywords:

baseball | president | drink | taxi | alternate history | 

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Taglines:

Larry Burrows Wished For It All... Until All That He Wished For Came True!

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mr. Végzet

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Estate - 1 Approach Road, Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$15,379,253 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Laurence Mark Productions, Silver Screen Partners IV, Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The baseball team in the flashback sequence is from Richard J. Reynolds High School located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

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Goofs

When Clip is using the copy machine, we first see manila folders flying out the door, but when Larry enters the room, copy paper is flying from the machine.

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Quotes

Larry Joseph Burrows: How well do you remember 1970?

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Connections

References Aliens (1986)

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Soundtracks

"GIMME SOME LOVIN'"
Written by Steve Winwood, Muff Winwood and Spencer Davis
Performed by Spencer Davis Group
Courtesy of Island Records and EMI, A division of Capitol Records, Inc.
By Arrangement with CEMA Special Markets
Remixed by Bruce Bolnick

User Reviews

good "what if" tale

Ok, so it borrows a little from "It's a Wonderful Life", but that was 44 years prior to this film, so why not a new attempt. Belushi is having a rotten 35th birthday. He didn't get his Wheaties, his coffee, and has lost his job. The capper is when his self described "big blue piece of sh**" car breaks down at the end of the day. He heads into an empty bar to call for a tow. While waiting, he's recognized by the bartender (Caine) as the kid who lost the town's championship baseball game 20 years earlier. This gets him to thinking how life would've been if he had won the game. He finds out when, unbeknownst to him, Caine serves up a motion potion in a glass that gives him a mansion, the prom queen (Russo) as his wife, and makes him president of the sporting goods company he's been canned from. Caine later reveals himself as the one who's responsible for this change, but Belushi is not entirely on board. He never fully adjusts, and in a plot development that doesn't kill the movie but is still odd, he tries to court his wife (Hamilton) from his real life, who is now married to someone else. The good move is that they don't spend too much time on it, as basically they rip of "Ghost", with Belushi constantly telling Hamilton things only she could know. It also brings in a hokey dramatic element, as two of his lovers kevetch in the shadows, new wife Russo, and his unbalanced lover Cox. But the keys to the film are the somewhat lengthy beginning, and cheery end. Also good work from the big and recognizable cast, as Belushi is very likable, VERY attractive ladies chosen, and Caine is perfectly easy going as the title guy. Strange that this was Belushi's second film of 1990 dealing with him getting an alternative lifestyle of riches, which was found in "Taking Care of Business". Though similar, both films are on the same level of laughs provided. So check this out for a fun exploration of "what if?"