''Simon Birch'' is a 1998 American
comedy-drama
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
film loosely based on the 1989 novel ''
A Prayer for Owen Meany
''A Prayer for Owen Meany'' is the seventh novel by American writer John Irving. Published in 1989, it tells the story of John Wheelwright and his best friend Owen Meany growing up together in a small New Hampshire town during the 1950s and 1960s. ...
'' by
John Irving
John Winslow Irving (born John Wallace Blunt Jr.; March 2, 1942) is an American-Canadian novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter.
Irving achieved critical and popular acclaim after the international success of ''The World According to G ...
and written for the screen and directed by
Mark Steven Johnson
Mark Steven Johnson (born October 30, 1964) is an American filmmaker.
Life and career
Johnson began his career writing the Warner Bros. films '' Grumpy Old Men'' and its sequel ''Grumpier Old Men''. Johnson wrote and directed two comic book bas ...
in his
directorial debut
This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
. The film stars
Ian Michael Smith
Ian Michael Smith (born May 5, 1987) is an American actor, known for his starring role in ''Simon Birch''.
His short physical stature () is a result of Morquio syndrome, a rare enzymatic disorder affecting the circulatory, muscular and skeletal ...
,
Joseph Mazzello
Joseph Francis Mazzello III (born September 21, 1983) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Tim Murphy in '' Jurassic Park'', Eugene Sledge in the HBO miniseries '' The Pacific'', Dustin Moskovitz in ''The Social Network'', a ...
,
Jim Carrey
James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...
,
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists: she is the daughter of the late country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonna ...
, and
Oliver Platt
Oliver Platt (born January 12, 1960) is a Canadian-born American actor. He is known for his starring roles in many films such as ''Flatliners'' (1990), ''Beethoven'' (1992), ''Indecent Proposal'', ''The Three Musketeers'' (both 1993), ''Executiv ...
. It omitted much of the latter half of the novel and altered the ending.
The film does not share the book's title at Irving's request; he did not believe that his novel could successfully be made into a film. The name "Simon Birch" was suggested by him to replace that of Owen Meany. The opening credits of the film state that it was "suggested by" Irving's novel. The main plot centers on 12-year-old Joe Wenteworth and his best friend Simon Birch, who was born with
dwarfism
Dwarfism is a condition wherein an organism is exceptionally small, and mostly occurs in the animal kingdom. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dw ...
.
Plot
On an autumn morning, an adult Joe Wenteworth visits the grave of his childhood friend Simon Birch and narrates Simon's story as the film transitions to the 1960s.
In 1952, Simon is the smallest newborn in the history of Gravestown. As a kid, he loves baseball even though he almost never gets to play during
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization[walk
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ov ...]
from his abnormally small
strike zone
In baseball, the strike zone is the volume of space through which a pitch must pass in order to be called a strike even if the batter does not swing. The strike zone is defined as the volume of space above home plate and between the batter's kn ...
. Joe's mother, Rebecca Wenteworth, got pregnant when she was in high school. The only fact anyone knows about Joe's parentage is that Rebecca met his father on a train. Her refusal to reveal the identity of the father has made Joe a subject of rumors and gossip. Simon is obsessed with how long he can hold his breath underwater, always trying to improve this ability.
One day Rebecca invites drama teacher Ben Goodrich over for dinner. He meets Joe and Simon and brings a stuffed armadillo for Joe. Simon expresses his belief that the niceties of church aren’t necessary. In front of the congregation, he says that if God has made niceties a priority, they are in trouble. Sunday School teacher Leavey belittles Simon, telling him that he doesn't belong in church and his belief that God has a special plan for him is ridiculous.
While playing baseball, Simon Birch is given the perfect pitch, and hits it. It soon becomes a
foul ball
In baseball, a foul ball is a batted ball that:
* Settles on foul territory between home and first base or between home and third base, or
* Bounces and then goes past first or third base on or over foul territory, or
* Has its first bounce occu ...
that hits Rebecca in the head, immediately killing her. Simon gives Joe his most prized possession, his baseball cards, as an apology. Simon and Joe have an argument, with Simon claiming that everything he does is foreordained. Joe disagrees, believing that his mother's death was simply an accident. Joe's grandmother informs him that there must be a plan should she die, as Rebecca never told anyone who Joe's father was, even in confidence. Joe decides his only hope is to find his real father.
Joe and Simon believe that Joe's father may have taken the baseball. They break into the gym teacher's office to find if he has the baseball that killed Rebecca, as that would implicate him as Joe's father. It isn't there, and Joe vandalizes the office, believing that he will never find his real father. The police chief agrees to let them off if they go to the children's retreat over their winter break. Ben picks them up from the police station and takes them for ice cream. Simon informs Ben of his destiny to be a hero, but admits that he doesn't know what that will imply. However, he fears that it could happen at any time, and he could miss it.
A
Christmas pageant
A Christmas pageant is a public event conducted in celebration of the Christmas holiday, typically involving an entertainment in the form of a procession (such as a Santa Claus parade), or a Nativity play or other performance.
Nativity pageant ...
with a
Nativity play is organized by the Sunday School. Marjorie, the school's prettiest girl, is chosen to play the
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
; the
acrophobic
Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear or phobia of heights, especially when one is not particularly high up. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort, that share both similar causes and options for ...
Howard is chosen as the angel; Simon is cast as the baby
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
, as he is the only one who fits in the manger. Despite his reluctance, Simon happily accepts when he realizes that he will be able to stay next to Marjorie for the entire play. Simon helps another child tame his fear and mentions that children listen to him because of how he looks. However, the play proves disastrous as the turtle doves look like winged mutant turtles, the wise men cannot remember the words to "We Three Kings", and Howard's acrophobia causes him to forget his lines. It soon escalates to chaos when Simon, incited by seeing Marjorie's cleavage,
makes a move on her. When Joe attempts to rescue Marjorie and stop Simon, she hits him, while Howard vomits on the stage.
As a result of the pageant chaos, Simon is not allowed on the retreat and his baseball cards are taken away. However, he breaks into the reverend's office to get them back, inadvertently finding the fateful baseball implicating the man as Joe's father. Simon has Ben drive him to the retreat to inform Joe. At the retreat, Reverend Russell admits to Joe he is his father, just as Simon arrives with the baseball.
While Simon and Joe are riding the bus home, it crashes into a lake. When the bus driver abandons the children and the reverend is knocked unconscious, Simon takes command to get everyone out safely. With the help of Joe, Simon is successful evacuating almost everyone, but he nearly drowns while he is saving the last child. Joe wakes up in the hospital and visits Simon, who is dying. Simon mentions that the children listened to him because of how he looks, that the window he escaped through was "just his size" and that he held his breath for "200 Mississippi", then dies. Joe remarks that he will always remember Simon for the hero that he was.
Joe's grandmother dies that summer, and he is adopted by Ben Goodrich just before his 13th birthday. The film then transitions back to the present day with adult Joe at Simon Birch's grave. Joe's son, who is named after Simon Birch, reminds him that he has a soccer game, and they drive away.
Cast
*
Ian Michael Smith
Ian Michael Smith (born May 5, 1987) is an American actor, known for his starring role in ''Simon Birch''.
His short physical stature () is a result of Morquio syndrome, a rare enzymatic disorder affecting the circulatory, muscular and skeletal ...
as Simon Birch
*
Joseph Mazzello
Joseph Francis Mazzello III (born September 21, 1983) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Tim Murphy in '' Jurassic Park'', Eugene Sledge in the HBO miniseries '' The Pacific'', Dustin Moskovitz in ''The Social Network'', a ...
as Joe Wenteworth, Simon's best friend
**
Jim Carrey
James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...
as Adult Joe Wenteworth / Narrator
*
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists: she is the daughter of the late country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonna ...
as Rebecca Wenteworth, Joe's mother
*
Oliver Platt
Oliver Platt (born January 12, 1960) is a Canadian-born American actor. He is known for his starring roles in many films such as ''Flatliners'' (1990), ''Beethoven'' (1992), ''Indecent Proposal'', ''The Three Musketeers'' (both 1993), ''Executiv ...
as Ben Goodrich, Joe's adoptive father
*
David Strathairn
David Russell Strathairn (; born January 26, 1949) is an American actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he has often portrayed historical figures such as Edward R. Murrow, J. Robert Oppenheimer, William H. Seward, and John Dos ...
as Reverend Russell
*
Dana Ivey
Dana Robins Ivey (born August 12, 1941) is an American actress. She is a five-time Tony Award nominee for her work on Broadway, and won the 1997 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for her work in both ''Sex and Longing' ...
as Grandmother Wenteworth, Joe's grandmother
*
Beatrice Winde
Beatrice Winde (born Beatrice Lucille Williams; January 5, 1924 – January 3, 2004) was an American actress. Her work as a character actor, and a singer, in theatrical, television, and film roles, spanned several decades.
Life and career
W ...
as Hilde Grove
*
Jan Hooks
Janet Vivian Hooks[Jan Hooks obituary](_blank)
liteseyfh.com; accesse ...
as Miss Agnes Leavey
* Cecilley Carroll as Marjorie
* Sumela-Rose Keramidopulos as Ann
* Sam Morton as Stuart
* John Mazzello as Simon Wenteworth, Joe's son
* Holly Dennison as Mrs. Birch, Simon's mother
*
Peter MacNeill
Peter MacNeill is a Canadian film and television actor and voice-over artist who has starred in numerous television series and films.
His film credits have included '' The Hanging Garden'' (for which MacNeill won a Genie Award for Best Suppo ...
as Mr. Birch, Simon's father
* Thomas J. Burns as Simon Birch Stunt Double
Production
Casting
The role of Simon Birch was
Ian Michael Smith
Ian Michael Smith (born May 5, 1987) is an American actor, known for his starring role in ''Simon Birch''.
His short physical stature () is a result of Morquio syndrome, a rare enzymatic disorder affecting the circulatory, muscular and skeletal ...
's first role in film, and he has not done film acting since. Smith was chosen because of his small height, due to
Morquio syndrome
Morquio syndrome, also known as Mucopolysaccharidosis Type IV (MPS IV), is a rare metabolic disorder in which the body cannot process certain types of sugar molecules called glycosaminoglycans (AKA GAGs, or mucopolysaccharides). In Morquio syndr ...
. A hospital worker in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
suggested Smith try out for a role in the film ''
The Mighty
''The Mighty'' is a 1998 American coming of age buddy comedy-drama film directed by Peter Chelsom and written by Charles Leavitt. Based on the book ''Freak the Mighty'' by Rodman Philbrick, the film stars Sharon Stone, Gena Rowlands, Gillian And ...
,'' another film that called for a character with Morquio syndrome.
When Smith didn't get the part, the director of ''The Mighty'' recommended Smith to
Mark Steven Johnson
Mark Steven Johnson (born October 30, 1964) is an American filmmaker.
Life and career
Johnson began his career writing the Warner Bros. films '' Grumpy Old Men'' and its sequel ''Grumpier Old Men''. Johnson wrote and directed two comic book bas ...
whom he knew was searching for an actor to play the titular role in an ''
Owen Meany'' adaptation.
After Smith’s parents read through the novel ''A Prayer for Owen Meany'' they agreed to let him work on the film.
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock (; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Sandra Bullock, various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, Bullock was ...
was originally cast in the role of Rebecca Wenteworth.
Locations
The bus crash scene was filmed near Ontario's
French River. The film's quarry scenes were shot at
Elora, Ontario
Elora is a community in the township of Centre Wellington, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. It is well known for its 19th-century limestone architecture and the geographically significant Elora Gorge.
Elora is no longer an independent enti ...
. The church featured in many parts of the film is in
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Lunenburg is a port town on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. Founded in 1753, the town was one of the first British attempts to settle Protestants in Nova Scotia.
The economy was traditionally based on the offshore fishery and today L ...
. Its black borders were painted white for the film. At the end of the film when it switches to the future, the borders are black. The baseball scene as well as many indoor scenes were filmed in Glen Williams, Ontario.
Soundtrack
''Simon Birch'' features
R&B songs from the 1950 and 1960s, as well as four score cues by
Marc Shaiman
Marc Shaiman (; born October 22, 1959) is an American composer and lyricist for films, television, and theatre, best known for his collaborations with lyricist and director Scott Wittman. He wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics for the Broadw ...
. The film's original motion picture soundtrack was released on compact disc, LP and audio cassette on September 1, 1998, through
Sony Wonder
Sony Wonder (founded as Sony Kids’ Music) is the kids and family entertainment label of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and the former record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment.
Despite the similarity in name, Sony Wonder is not direct ...
,
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Records l ...
and
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
featuring the following songs:
# "You Were There" –
Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to:
Nicknames
* Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber
* Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician
* "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...
# "
Bread and Butter" –
The Newbeats
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
# "A Walkin' Miracle" –
The Essex
The Essex was an American R&B vocal group formed in 1962. They are best known for their 1963 song " Easier Said Than Done".
Career
Founding members Walter Vickers (guitar) and Rodney Taylor (drums) were members of the United States Marine Corps ...
# "
Mickey's Monkey
Mickey's is a brand of malt liquor made by the Miller Brewing Company. It has a 5.6% ABV.
The brand was created by Sterling Brewery in Evansville, Indiana, which brewed it from 1962 through 1972. It is known for its bright green barrel-shaped, ...
" –
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...
/
The Miracles
The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential groups ...
# "
Can I Get a Witness
"Can I Get a Witness" is a song composed by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland and produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier as a non-album single for American recording vocalist Marvin Gaye, who issued the record on Motown's Tam ...
" –
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...
# "
Fever
Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a body temperature, temperature above the human body temperature, normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, set point. There is not a single ...
" –
Peggy Lee
Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...
# "
Up on the Roof" –
The Drifters
The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/Soul music, soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, f ...
# "
Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" is a song written and recorded by James Brown. Released as a two-part single in 1965, it was Brown's first song to reach the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Top Ten, peaking at number eight, and was a number-one R&B hit, topp ...
(Part 1)" –
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
# "The Nitty Gritty" –
Shirley Ellis
Shirley Marie O'Garra (stage name Shirley Ellis, married name Shirley Elliston; January 19, 1929 – October 5, 2005) was an American soul music singer and songwriter of West Indian heritage. She is best known for her novelty hits "The Nitty Grit ...
# "
Nowhere to Run" –
Martha and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves & The Vandellas) were an American vocal girl group formed in Detroit in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s with Motown.
An act founded by friends Annette Beard, Rosalind ...
# "It's All Right" –
The Impressions
The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, doo-wop, R&B, and soul.
The group was founded as the Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthur Bro ...
# "
(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher
"(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" is an R&B song written by Gary Jackson, Raynard Miner, and Carl Smith. It was recorded by Jackie Wilson for his album
'' Higher and Higher'' (1967), produced by Carl Davis, and became a Top 10 ...
" –
Jackie Wilson
Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer of the 1950s and 60s. He was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a mas ...
# "Simon's Theme" –
Marc Shaiman
Marc Shaiman (; born October 22, 1959) is an American composer and lyricist for films, television, and theatre, best known for his collaborations with lyricist and director Scott Wittman. He wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics for the Broadw ...
# "Friends Forever" – Marc Shaiman
# "Simon's Birth" – Marc Shaiman
# "Life Goes On" – Marc Shaiman
Reception
''Simon Birch'' holds a 44% rating on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, with the site's consensus calling the film "Overly mushy; tries too hard to pull at the heart-strings." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a 39/100 rating, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews." Movie critic
Gene Siskel
Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune''. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of movie review programs on television from 1975 until his d ...
rated it the 7th best movie of 1998. Audiences polled by
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.
Background
Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.
The film opened at #5 at the North American box office making $3,321,370 in its opening weekend. The film would go on to gross $18,253,415 domestically, against a $20 million budget.
Home media
The film was released on stereo dts
LaserDisc
The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
format as well as
VHS and
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
on May 18, 1999 (Region 1). The
region 1 DVD contains a theatrical trailer for this film.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
The Bell Ringer in ''Simon Birch''Hide & Seek Foundation for Lysosomal Disease Research
{{John Irving
1998 films
1998 comedy-drama films
American buddy comedy-drama films
American coming-of-age comedy-drama films
1990s English-language films
Films directed by Mark Steven Johnson
1990s buddy comedy-drama films
Films based on works by John Irving
Films set in 1964
Films set in Maine
Films set in the 1960s
Films shot in Toronto
Films shot in Nova Scotia
Caravan Pictures films
Hollywood Pictures films
Films produced by Laurence Mark
Films produced by Roger Birnbaum
Films scored by Marc Shaiman
Films with screenplays by Mark Steven Johnson
1998 directorial debut films
Films about mother–son relationships
1990s coming-of-age comedy-drama films
1990s American films
Films about disability