SIMON BIRCH
Simon Birch is a boy born small, with what the narrator refers to as
a "wrecked voice." That narrator is Jim Carrey, the adult version
of Joe Wenteworth, Simon's boyhood friend. We only see Carrey for a few
minutes at the beginning and end of the film, but his voiceovers run throughout,
explaining the long story of why Simon is the reason he, Joe, believes in
God.
Although 12-year-old Simon (Ian Michael Smith) is constantly made fun
of for being physically diminutive, he feels God has a purpose for him to
fulfill, that he is "God's instrument." Meanwhile, Joe (Joseph
Mazzello) suffers from his own embarassment: He is a bastard, born out of
wedlock to his attractive but mysterious mother Rebecca (Ashley Judd). No
one but Rebecca knows who Joe's father was, and she isn't telling. When
she brings home an affable boyfriend named Ben Goodrich (Oliver Platt),
Joe is unimpressed, but Simon likes him. Simon's parents never regarded
him as anything other than a freak and a bother, so he knows the value of
an adult who respects children as people. This is why he loves Rebecca,
although he admits he also likes her breasts.
When a freak accident takes Rebecca's life, Joe becomes obsessed with
knowing the identity of his father. He and Simon speculate constantly about
which member of the small town population could be the man who impregnated
Rebecca all those years ago. The day he finds out is the day that turns
his entire life, and his faith, around. And he has Simon Birch to thank
for it.
This movie is quirky and unpredictable, with pretty cinema and beautiful
music. Johnson's pacing is rather uneven, though, and the objectives of
the characters sometimes get bogged down in lengthy plot digressions. The
acting on the part of 15-year-old Mazzelo is real and quite touching, and
Smith does a fair job in his debut performance, with an awesomely difficult
character. It's clear he was chosen for this role more for his physical
appearance than his acting talent. Judd is breezy and attractive, and Platt's
growing relationship with the boys is sensitive and at the same time strong.
Simon Birch is a touching story, painted beautifully on the silver canvas by cinematographer Aaron E. Schneider. It is not destined to be a box-office smash, but shows off some of the subtler talents of several up-and-coming artists, on both sides of the screen. ****