Simply Perfect

Absolutely Fantastic

Absolutely Brilliant!

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

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.

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.

Sad, tender, naive... This is a sui generis movie because it deals with a truly sad, moving situation that is carried by a light comedy aspect.The character of Simon Birch may be an example of exploitation but it serves for the movie's purpose. I don't know, this movie may divide opinions. Some people love, others are moved by it, I think that Simon's character is displayed as some kind of "hero" or something like that. I didn't like at all that he was the center of the movie while there were other many situations. Yes, he was a "special" person who had a pure soul and thought God had planned something special for him. In my opinion he was selfish at some points.I haven't read the novel so I guess that many things are explained on there. Still, give this movie a chance. Good performances by the way.