Simon Birch

1998 "Destiny has big plans for little Simon Birch."
6.8| 1h54m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 11 September 1998 Released
Producted By: Caravan Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Simon Birch and Joe Wenteworth are boys who have a reputation for being oddballs. Joe never knew his father, and his mother, Rebecca, is keeping her lips sealed no matter how much he protests. Simon, meanwhile, is an 11-year-old dwarf whose outsize personality belies his small stature. Indeed, he often assails the local reverend with thorny theological questions and joins Joe on his quest to find his biological father.

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Reviews

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant
ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre
Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
Paul J. Nemecek When I look over my personal list of favorite films I find that most of my favorites reside at different ends of the same continuum. Many of my favorites are big films, films such as Gandhi, Schindler's List, and Dances With Wolves. Most of the rest of my favorite films are small films, films like A Family Thing, Spitfire Grill, and Il Postino. Simon Birch will be added to my list of favorite small films.While the film is small in feel, and its subject small in stature, there are some big emotions and sentiments that provide the foundation for the film. Simon Birch is a loose adaptation of a novel by John Irving, and is about a young boy who was the smallest recorded birth at the local hospital. Simon Birch is a dwarf who believes he is the way he is because he is an instrument of God. At points, it is a little hard to think of Simon in this category. Simon lapses into crude language, the occasional obscene gesture, and a typical adolescent obsession with female anatomy. When all is said and done, however, if we have difficulty in seeing Simon as an instrument of God, it reflects our smallness, not his.Simon's best friend is Joe, sometimes known to the locals as the Wentworth bastard. Joe is preoccupied with discovering the identity of his father. Simon is preoccupied with hearing his Father's voice and discovering his unique purpose. The bond between these friends is based in part on their respective quests, but also on the deviant status conferred on them by the townspeople. The bond between these two friends is part of what makes the film so engaging and ultimately rewarding. The performances by veteran actor Joe Mazzello (he plays Joe here, previously seen in Radio Flyer and Jurassic Park) and newcomer Ian McKellan as Simon are excellent. There are solid supporting perfomances by David Strathairn, Ashley Judd, and Oliver Platt.Simon Birch is directed by Mark Steven Johnson, whose previous screen credits include screenwriting credits for Grumpy Old Men. Grumpy old men is a good description of the audience that should steer clear of Simon Birch. Like many postmodern films, this film is a collage of style and texture ranging from broad slapstick humor in the Christmas pageant to serious emotional drama (and occasional melodrama) when one of the central characters is seriously ill. Several critics saw the sentimentality or the melodrama as a fatal flaw. There are points where the film is perhaps heavy-handed, but taken as a whole, director Mark Steven Johnson has crafted an engaging, and inspirational film that is definitely worth a look. Good things come in small packages. Here that applies to the character Simon Birch as well as the film that bears his name.
emilyholt-53563 I HAVE MANY OPIONS ABOUT THIS FIRST OF ALL WHYYYYY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO PEOPLE AND ALSO I BLAME THE DEER FOR ALL OF THIS AND THE STUPID WATER IS NOT GOOD I HAVE ISSUES WITH THIS AND MANY ISUES I WILL SAY TO YOU HOW DARE YOU KILL THIS CHILD AND DO THIS TO ME I HAVE GREIF OF THIS MOVIE.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DONT U NDERTAND NWHY WHY MY MESSAGE TO YOU IS VERY CONCERNING TO ME THIS MOVIE IS REALLY NOT GOOD AND I A M GOING T CO NT5ACTGC TRHUIS PEO,E A ND TELL THE, WHAT I THI NK OF THISYOU SHALL NOT BE ALLOWED TO KEPP; BS3LINMG VTRHJIAS MOVUI3 AND MY7 ISSUES AFFECTIOMG ME HORRIB,LI8NMGBN GOOD BYE ALSO JOE WAS A MEAL THANKS11 ALSO THAT DUDE THAT AN DFIST NEEDS TO THINK HIS LIFE OVER AAND HOW DARE YOUUU DO THIS TO MEEEEE I WILL COME AT Y0OU AND FIGHT
MattCScicluna Upon watching Simon Birtch I felt that the director wanted me to go out and do something uber Catholic. What does he do? He makes a film packed full of catharsis. Just because a film makes you cry doesn't make it a good one.This film employs far too many pity tactics like that Simon and Joe have no friends and that Joe accidentally killed Simon's mother in a baseball accident (I hope insurance covers that, never know if it will happen to me some day). What the hell is the point of all this? Is it to hide the fact that there is almost no actual story going on here? Overall, this film is like the passion of the Christ, except with a midget Jesus. Basically every bad thing you could possibly imagine, plus some you wouldn't (when he grabs the girls boobs), happen to poor Simon, which makes dumb teenagers cry their eyes out and call this a masterpiece. I'd call it a propaganda film, but it deters me farther from Catholicism.
gpeevers The story is set in small town New England of the early 1960's and tells the story of an underdeveloped boy named Simon (Ian Michael Smith) and his unwavering faith that god has made him the way he is for some special purpose. His best friend Joe (Joseph Mazello) just wants to discover the identity of his father. This is nominally a story about small town life and growing up, but it's also about faith, religion and a number of other themes (though apparently not all the themes were found in the novel).Simon Birch manages to be atmospheric and mystical and also quite funny at times though it is unquestionably a dramatic film with some tragic elements.We get a pair of good performances from Ashley Judd as Joe's mother and Oliver Platt who plays a drama teacher with an interest in Joe's mother, it's a bit of a departure for Platt but its nice to see him in a role with a romantic interest. The two boys are also quite effective in their roles. Some of the supporting performances are less effective; David Straithairn who I usually enjoy comes across as wooden and Jan Hooks performance as the Sunday school teacher kept reminding me of her work on Saturday Night Live. Although it's a very small role Jim Carrey is also effective in one of his first dramatic film roles, he is also the narrator.According to the credits the film is suggested by the book "A Prayer from Owen Meaney" by John Irving, this was done at the request of the author because either the film only covered a small part of the 600 page novel or because they only bear a passing resemblance to one another. The author also requested the name change of the title character which necessitated the title change as well.The film was written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson who for the most part has stuck to comic book adaptations since this film.While this could be a film for the whole family (the film was rated PG) it might be little to emotionally charged for children.