Simon Birch (1998)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Mark Steven Johnson

Writers (WGA):

Mark Steven Johnson (screenplay)
John Irving (novel) (suggestion)

Release Date:

11 September 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Destiny has big plans for little Simon Birch.

Plot:

A young boy with stunted growth is convinced that God has a great purpose for him.

Plot Keywords:

Friendship | Young Boy | Illegitimate Son | Best Friend | Destiny

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Ian Michael Smith	...	Simon Birch
Joseph Mazzello	...	Joe Wenteworth
Ashley Judd	...	Rebecca Wenteworth
Oliver Platt	...	Ben Goodrich
David Strathairn	...	Rev. Russell
Dana Ivey	...	Grandmother Wenteworth
Beatrice Winde	...	Hilde Grove
Jan Hooks	...	Miss Leavey
Cecilley Carroll	...	Marjorie
Sumela Kay	...	Ann (as Sumela-Rose Keramidopulos)
Sam Morton	...	Stuart
Jim Carrey	...	Adult Joe Wenteworth
John Mazzello	...	Simon Wenteworth
Holly Dennison	...	Mrs. Birch
Peter MacNeill	...	Mr. Birch

Also Known As:

A Prayer for Owen Meany (USA) (working title)
A Small Miracle (USA) (working title)
Angels and Armadillos

MPAA:

Rated PG for language, emotional thematic elements, and an accident scene.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Netherlands:MG6 | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Philippines:G | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-10/7 | Germany:6 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/6 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Elora, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Hollywood Pictures

Trivia:

Author John Irving doubted his novel, "A Prayer for Owen Meany", could ever be turned into a film, and sold the screen rights on the condition it not be released under the same name as his book.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the reverend is outside speaking to the Sunday school teacher before the Christmas play, he has a ring on in one scene but not the next.

Quotes:

Miss Leavy: The Star of Bethlehem is not a piñata!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Action: Twelfth Step to Hell (#1.6)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Peter Gunn Theme

A very good, bittersweet film

I have watched the movie twice, once with my wife and once with my children.

It is a great movie and totally undeserving of some of the juvenile comments posted here.

It is a story of a 12 year old extremely undersized boy who is a freak to many, a best friend to another and ends up being a hero. All through the movie he talks of God having a plan for him and that his small stature is a part of that plan.

Don't compare it to the book it is "suggested" from. Neither does justice to the other.

Don't miss it.