THE AISLE SEAT - "SIMON BIRCH"
by Mike McGranaghan
One of the biggest joys of being a movie critic is that occasionally I stumble upon a great little movie that I can recommend to others. Sure, it's fun to rip apart a film that I hated, but I get more satisfaction trumpeting one that I loved - especially if that film isn't a box office blockbuster. Such is the case with Simon Birch, a gem of a movie that was quietly released by Disney's Hollywood Pictures label to little fanfare or box office business. It's now on home video, and I'd like to take this opportunity to re-emphasize my affection for it.
"Suggested by" John Irving's novel "A Prayer For Owen Meany," Simon Birch tells the story of the titular character - played by newcomer Ian Michael Smith in an Oscar-worthy performance - who suffers from an abnormal smallness (his pregnant mother literally sneezed him out). Simon is ridiculed by the other students in his school. It doesn't help matters that he vocally insists that he is "God's instrument," placed on earth to be a hero and carry out God's plan. The only people who really take Simon to heart are his best friend Joe (Joseph Mazzello) and Joe's mother (Ashley Judd). They are fiercely protective of the small boy, even standing up to the local Sunday school teacher (Jan Hooks) and the town minister (David Straithairn) when necessary.
To give away too many details of the plot would be wrong. One of Simon Birch's pleasures is that its story unfolds in the most unexpected of ways. What I will say is that Joe's mother sets in motion a series of events that will prove to Simon (and everyone else) just what his destiny really is.
What's interesting about Simon Birch is that it deals with substantive issues of religious faith without ever condescending into preachiness. In the movie's prologue, an adult Joe (played by an uncredited Jim Carrey) tells us in voiceover that he never had faith until Simon gave it to him. What his childhood friend did, he says, made him believe in God. The picture then goes on to show the audience what happened to make Joe a believer. The suggestion is that tiny miracles take place all around us everyday; if we keep our eyes open to them, it's impossible not to see that God exists.
Too few movies deal with faith, probably because it scares a lot of filmmakers. However, Simon Birch knows that contemplating religion doesn't always have to be staid and serious. Although there are moments that touch the heart (like young Joe's reflection that when people die, they leave us not all at once, but in stages), the movie uses quirky humor to explore its theme. There are a lot of big laughs in the movie, mostly in the way Simon refuses to censor his own thoughts and desires. One scene, depicting a Christmas pageant gone seriously awry, is one of the most outrageously funny movie scenes of the year (the fact that Simon must play the baby Jesus is only the first in an escalating series of comic mishaps).
Combining offbeat humor and meaningful topics requires a light touch, and writer/director Mark Steven Johnson does it perfectly. Johnson's only previous credit was as screenwriter on the two Grumpy Old Men pictures (neither of which I liked). My hope is that he abandons any future Grumpy movies in favor of smarter projects like this one. The cast is picture perfect, bringing Johnson's intelligent script alive. Ian Michael Smith is a natural, possessing a razor-sharp sense of timing. Mazzello (best known from Jurassic Park) brings a lot of heart to his performance as the confused Joe. I also liked the marvelous supporting turns from Ashley Judd and Oliver Platt (as Judd's new boyfriend). Platt is a gifted actor who has appeared in Bulworth and Dr. Dolittle. His sensitive performance in this film marks his best work to date.
It's hard to put into words how moved I was by Simon Birch. It is a film about faith in a higher power and the ways that faith (and love) enrich our lives. The movie is thoughtful and touching, but also hysterically and sweetly funny, the kind of movie that restores your faith in Hollywood. It's a real treasure.
(
out of four)
Return
to the Film Page
