The basic ideas in "Mr. Destiny" shouldn't surprise anyone watching. After all, similar plots have appeared on many television shows and movies, such as "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Family Man". So there are no surprises here. Now this isn't really a huge complaint...the film is still enjoyable and it's a nice turn off your brain and enjoy sort of story.
The story begins long ago. Larry (Jim Belushi) is playing the championship game and strikes out....and years later, he STILL blames the direction of his life on this one incident. And, his secret wish is granted when a mysterious and magical guy (Michael Caine) appears and tells him that the past has been changed....he DID hit that ball and won the championship. Now, however, his life is so very different, as he lives in a huge mansion, married the boss' daughter, has a great classic car collection and much more. But what he doesn't have are his old friends and wife....and he misses that more than he possibly could have imagined.
The film is pleasant but also has one problem which impacted how much I enjoyed it.... Jim Belushi's character is simply too dumb at times. While he knows his life is completely different, he often thinks and acts as if it's his same old life....and ends up alienating a lot of people in the process. It really defies common sense when Larry acts this way...as if he really hasn't any concept of change. Why would he trust the man who he knew in his previous life if a devious Satan? Why would he cheat on his new wife when she adores him and treats him like a king? Why would he not try to explain away how oddly he's acting?! It's still enjoyable...but it doesn't make a lot of sense at times.
