Simon Birch (1998)

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Masterful Movie

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The PERFECT movie for family night! You'll cry, you'll laugh and you'll just plain FEEL good!I can't recommend this movie enough. Beautiful in every aspect.Script is flawless. Acting is superb and the cinematography is excellent!A home run!

Simon Birch (Ian Michael Smith) was born with a deformity that left him very short. He is smart and challenges authority like Reverend Russell (David Strathairn). His biggest supporter is his best friend Joe Wenteworth (Joseph Mazzello)'s mother (Ashley Judd). Her new boyfriend is the friendly Ben Goodrich (Oliver Platt). However, Simon accidentally kills her when he hits a baseball that strike her dead. Simon believes that God has a plan for him. The boys go in search of Joe's biological father. When they find the baseball that killed Joe's mother, Joe smashes up the coach's office and they end up doing community service.I was with this movie until Rebecca's death. It screws up the tone. I was expecting the movie to go a bit darker after the death but it got even lighter. At times, the movie is trying too hard to be light and fluffy. The movie struggles to find the sweet spot with so many different aspects of the story. I'm not saying the Christmas play wasn't funny. I just don't know which way the movie is going from one section to the next.

Having seen, and been somewhat dissatisfied with, The Cider House Rules and The World According to Garp, I was, as I've previously remarked on this very site, pretty much convinced that the novels of John Irving are inherently unfilmable. Simon Birch, billed as "suggested by" A Prayer for Owen Meany—my favourite Irving, and perhaps even favourite novel—is so titled at Irving's request, so different he felt were the stories.Showing the titular character's grave at the film's beginning, Simon Birch follows its namesake from birth to death. Extremely small, shrilly-voiced, and devoutly religious, Simon believes himself to be "God's instrument", put upon the earth in his unusual form for a distinct purpose.Firstly, I feel the need to vent. What is it with Irving adaptations and this horrid reliance on saccharine music? It's so bloody cliché it makes me want to weep with frustration, tear my hair out, and howl for hours. Now that that's said, shall we move on? Commendations firstly to star and one time actor Ian Michael Smith, who delivers a convincing, humorous, and persuasive performance as the zealous young Simon. Indeed the entire cast is solidly... well, cast. A special mention is reserved for Oliver Platt, whose character's original literary basis was a favourite who seemed misrepresented at first, but was eventually realised well in Platt's performance—a considerable task I assure you. It's not difficult to see why Irving declined to permit the usage of his character's names, the plot taking a complete turn about halfway through the film. This turn makes sense, given the time restrictions of a feature film compared to a novel, though it leaves the former considerably less impactful than the latter. The movie offers a story which moves steadily forward, honouring the book for as long as the two overlap. The relationship between the young characters at the film's heart is well appropriated, Joe's fondness for his minuscule friend articulated through the nuances of their dialogue as well as the actors' respective performances. It's in the last act of the film that it loses itself, the inevitable foreseen incident—beautifully constructed in the novel—poorly brought to fruition. One understands the reason behind changing the ending to this, but it ought to have been handled with much more grace. Plot holes emerge, grow, and eventually suck the film into them, so distracting are they from the poignancy of the drama. Yet, that said, the drama loses poignancy all of its own at this point anyway. The ending—I am permitted to reveal it is Simon's death; the film begins with a shot of his gravestone including dates—feels shoved in to align with the book. I found myself wondering why exactly the boy had died, no sufficiently decent reason offered by the film. The ending places a severe blemish on the rest of the film, marred particularly in no small part due to the final overly sentimental return to the graveside.Starting out well, inasmuch as it follows more or less exactly the book's path, Simon Birch shows promise of a decent childhood drama. It maintains this facade for some time, before the ending finally exposes it for the lacking piece it—rather unfortunately—is. There is a gaping chasm of narrative quality between the two halves, no doubt the result of adapting just half a book; the latter section demonstrating wildly its inferior writing. Nevertheless, the film has its merits, for which it is worthy of viewing and appreciation.

This is a very sweet and touching story, with some allegorical references that are emphasized effectively. It's the story of a growth-stunted boy named Simon (Ian Smith), and Joe (Joseph Mazzerello), the boy who befriends him. It's a story of small time life, with several characters living interconnected destinies.Because it's allegorical, some of the border line fantasy elements have to be given dramatic license. I doubt a feebly hit foul ball could cause the result that occurs in this film. The acting by the entire cast is quite good, especially Smith and Mazzerello in the lead roles. Simon is seeking his purpose in life from God, after some events lead him to believe he has been tapped for a mission. The suffering endured by Simon sensitively related, as the film captures both sad and comedic moments well.One weakness of note is a "mystery" involving Joe's family, but the identity of the party involved is a tired cliché, and is painfully obvious as soon as the characters are introduced in the first few minutes of the movie.Good character development and a thoughtful plot line and message. A fine movie.