Simon Birch

September 11, 1998 0 By Fans
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Plot

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

Release Year: 1998

Rating: 6.7/10 (12,891 voted)

Critic's Score: 39/100

Director:
Mark Steven Johnson

Stars: Ian Michael Smith, Joseph Mazzello, Ashley Judd

Storyline
Simon Birch tells the story of Joe and Simon's heart-warming journey of friendship. Simon Birch was born with a condition that makes him much smaller than all the other kids in town. Now, due to his condition, Simon thinks God made him this way for a reason and highly believes in God. Together, Joe and Simon go on a journey of trust and friendship to find the answers to many things. Their friendship is put to the test when some unfortunate events happen.

Writers: Mark Steven Johnson, John Irving

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

Taglines:
Destiny has big plans for little Simon Birch.

Release Date: 11 September 1998

Filming Locations: Elora, Ontario, Canada



Box Office Details

Budget: $30,000,000

(estimated)

Opening Weekend: $3,321,370
(USA)
(13 September 1998)
(596 Screens)

Gross: $18,252,684
(USA)
(27 December 1998)



Technical Specs

Runtime:



Did You Know?

Trivia:

Sandra Bullock was, at one point, considered for the part of Rebecca Wenteworth.

Goofs:

Continuity:
As the bus heads down the hill towards the lake we see Simon with his glasses on – then there is a close-up of him without his glasses, then as the bus hits the water he's wearing them again and they fly off and hit the floor.

Quotes:

Simon:
I said, what does coffee and donuts have to do with God?

Rev. Russell:
They're merely refreshments so people can socialize and talk about up coming events.

Simon:
Who ever said church needs a continental breakfast?



User Review

A fluid, graceful success– enjoyable and uplifting

Rating: 10/10

Fantastic movie! I had avoided this one in the theaters last Fall because of
the theme. Consider this movie in light of the other "suffering child" movie
that came out around the same time, "Patch Adams." Bless those "Patch"
folks, they really tried, but that movie was dense, depressing, and the
characters were tedious if implausible. "Simon Birch," however, succeeded in
every sense. It evoked the late 1950's and early 1960's very well. Not just
the look of an American small town, but the vibe of the folks, especially
the adults, rang very true for me (I was there, same age as the Joe
character). The movie itself was wonderful to look at, and easy to lose
one's self within.

The other key aspect of the movie was title character, Simon. When I first
saw the previews for this, I thought that it could be good, but it could
also be awkward and painful to watch. There is a place for painful and
awkward movies, I suppose, but most often I choose to avoid them. When I
rented the DVD of "Simon Birch," I was willing to watch, but was still
expecting it to be somewhat of an ordeal, like taking bitter medicine. I was
so surprised! It does convey the considerable pain of the characters'
circumstances, yet it is also a story that is fluid with grace and
tremendous joy. I was touched, and I was also happy and uplifted. The entire
cast was stellar, especially the young boys who played Simon and Joe.
Everyone was awesome. What an accomplishment! I gave it a
10.