Simon Birch is a refreshing relief from some of the dreadful films which have been released this summer. It is, in fact, a pretty good matinee movie. There is a current saying based upon the Hollywood Pictures logo of the recumbant Sphinx and recent releases from the studio (such as An American Werewolf in Paris), "If it's the Sphinx, it Stinks." Mercifully, Simon Birch is an exception to the rule.
"Suggested by" John Irving's novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Simon Birch has been written for the screen and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, the title character having had a name change because John Irving objected to having the character of Owen Meany altered for the movies and having large portions of his novel left out for the screen version. Since it is not fair to compare the movie Simon Birch to Irving's novel, it must be dealt with on its own terms, and, thankfully it can stand alone.
11-year-old newcomer Ian Michael Smith plays the title character of the film, who "was the smallest delivery ever recorded in the history of Gravestown Memorial Hospital." His survival past his first night having been dubbed "a miracle," Simon grows up (well, older, anyway) regarding himself as a living miracle, proof of God's existence, and -- most definitely -- someone with a capital-D Destiny.
Simon's harrowing delivery leaves him as a very small person, smaller even than the local third graders, who (figuratively, if not literally) "look up to him," which proves a crucial factor in the unfolding of Simon's Destiny, which also interweaves his fate with that of his best friend, Joe Wenteworth (Joseph Mazzello) and Joe's mother (a radiant Ashley Judd) and her beau, Ben Goodrich (Oliver Platt, recently seen in Dangerous Beauty, which is now available on video).
The diminutive Smith is a formidible presence in the film, frequently carrying it through its weaker moments, and it is these weaker moments which must be addressed. Simon Birch is a good movie -- there is no denying that, but it sags somewhat in the middle, and even the ordinarily extraordinary Joseph Mazzello and Oliver Platt seem lost at times. This might cause many audience members to become bored and even leave. Resist the temptation, for Simon does indeed have a Destiny, and the playing-out of that Destiny more than makes up for any weaknesses in the filmÕs middle. Unwilling to spoil any of the shocks and surprises which Simon Birch has for the viewer, suffice it to say that the film's dramatic climax requires actors of the caliber of Mazzello and Platt to sustain its believability.
Among the many noteworthy performances in Simon Birch, David Strathairn as Reveverand Russell, Dana Ivey as Grandmother Wenteworth and Jan Hooks as Miss Leavey, the Sunday school teacher, stand out. Among the younger actors, look for the Pitcher (Tim Hall), First Baseman (Tom Redman). Also look for a surprising cameo by John Mazzello as the son of the adult Joe Wenteworth (played by a restrained and respectful Jim Carrey).
As I said, Simon Birch is a good matinee movie, and I rate it W5 -- Worth $5.00, but parents should be warned that the climax of the film is definitely going to be very frightening to younger (or smaller) children, and also contains some surprisingly strong language for a PG-13 movie.