Monsieur Destinée

Entertaining Jim Belushi vehicle, a modern cockeyed version of It's A Wonderful Life. Michael Caine plays a sort-of angel who lets Belush see what life would have been like if he had "made it big". Jim is at his best with a good story and supporting cast; seems like real chemistry between him and Hamilton. Not an Oscar contender but good warm-hearted fun.

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?"

This movie is one of my favorites because it makes me think of all the choices I have made and how my life would change if my choices had been different. It plays right into the " Multiple Universe " theory.

The only thing that doesn't ring true is how Larry Burrows ( James Belushi)has such a hard time understanding what is going on, that everything has changed.

Living the part of your life you wished were better is something that many of us have wished we could do, but for Larry Burrows, it becomes reality in "Mr. Destiny."

Jim Belushi definitely played his best part in this well-done film about second chances. The character of Larry Burrows is believable and is like many blue-collar workers in America. Burrows is the kind of person that lets everyone go ahead of him, with out trying to get ahead himself.

The chemistry between Belushi and Linda Hamilton as Ellen is very charming, something that many loving couples have. Michael Caine was also superb as Mike, who actually creeped me out the first time I saw this, which was at least 10 years ago. It was amazing to see how contrasted his normal life was as opposed to his "rich life." People liked him in his ordinary life, but he was feared and despised in his "rich life."

In my opinion, this film teaches a very important lesson: Life is what you make of it, and one should be thankful of what they have, and what helped them get there. Destiny is what shapes us, and good things will definitely come our way.

RATING: ****1/2 out of 5. Excellent!:)

The stage curtains open ...

"Mr. Destiny" is a modern day fairytale that arguably catches James Belushi at the height of his popularity in cinema. He had just finished "Taking Care of Business" and was about to be in "Curly Sue", both of which are great movies. In this film, however, he stars alongside other notable actors such as Michael Caine, Linda Hamilton, and Jon Lovitz in a fun, "feel good", comedy that still holds up well today.

It is Larry Burrows's 35th birthday, and as he explains it, it was the strangest day of his life. Things are off to a rough start - he isn't able to have his Wheaties for breakfast, there is no coffee when he gets to work, he gets into trouble with his boss which leads to him losing his job, and then his car breaks down ... again. All of this is going on while he is feeling melancholy about a championship baseball game he could've won when he was a youth ... the outcome of which he is convinced, would've changed his life for the better. But, when he meets Mike the bartender, he is given a chance to see what that life would've been like.

It's obvious to see that this movie drew its inspiration from the 1946 classic, "It's A Wonderful Life" - only in that film, our main character got to see what life would've been like if he hadn't been born at all. Whereas, this 1990 film explores the ever persistent question of "What if?". A question that the Nicolas Cage movie, "The Family Man", would address later on in 2000 (another fine movie). We learn that with each outcome, there is always the bad with the good.

I loved this movie. There is an undeniable warmth and charm to it's underlying story as Larry goes through a series of mishaps and sometimes dramatic events to realize that what he had wasn't so bad. In fact, it was a great life. It gave us a nice "Wizard of Oz" ending ("I missed you all so much!) that will leave you smiling and satisfied. "Mr. Destiny" is time well spent and a film I would recommend without hesitation at 8 stars out of 10.