Faith and friendship almost enough
Simon Birch A Film Review By Michael Redman Copyright 1998 By Michael Redman
**1/2 (out of ****)
Faith is a wondrous state of being. Sure knowledge without the benefit of facts runs the risk of being misplaced but it is a remarkable comfort.
Oddly enough, even in these cynical times, we are a nation of believers. Everything's going to get better. A better life is just around the corner. Although the programmers working on it say that it's impossible, we believe that the Y2K bug will be fixed in time. Despite the evidence of history and Henry Kissinger's observation about power being the ultimate aphrodisiac, we are shocked to find that the President has human foibles.
Religious faith in our individual destiny is a different matter. Confidence that there is a design for our life is a rarity. Simon Birch (Ian Michael Smith) is convinced that God made him the way that he is in preparation for his ultimate fate, "I don't need proof. I have faith."
As a twelve-year-old boy just over three feet tall, Simon's faith in his predestination is either his way of dealing or precognition. Something of an outcast in 1964 Gravestown, Maine and parented by two people who ignore him, he sticks to his conviction. God has a plan for him: he's going to be a hero.
Simon's best friend Joe (Joseph Mazzello) also doesn't fit the New England small town mode. The illegitimate son of Rebecca Wentworth (Ashley Judd) who refuses to reveal his father's identity, Joe is Simon's confidante and the two are inseparable. When Rebecca virtually adopts Simon, the boys are like brothers.
Most of the story revolves around their church. Simon gets in trouble for arrogantly challenging the minister in matters of doctrine, not co-operating with his nervous uptight Sunday school teacher and copping a feel from the Virgin Mary as he lies in a manger during the Christmas pageant.
When he does get his chance to shine, tragedy occurs. Because his strike zone is minuscule, Simon's baseball coach has never allowed him to swing and he is always walked to first. When the coach wants to go home early, he tells him to try for a hit, hoping for an easy out. Simon connects with the ball but with disastrous results.
Midway through the film, Rebecca is no longer available to the boys and they turn to her suitor Ben Goodrich (Oliver Platt) for guidance in their searches for Simon's destiny and Joe's father. Ben has worked his way into the boys' hearts while trying to win that of Joe's mom.
The movie almost works. Like personal favorite "Stand By Me", the tale of buddies growing up in a small town features kids with winning personalities. Unfortunately, like "Stand By Me", it's a lot like "Stand By Me". There's even a fat kid vomiting at a public event.
There are a few strong moments here. Joe's understanding of how a dead person's existence disappears in bits and pieces from the still-living is touching. Simon's faith is inspiring. Their friendship is poignant.
The biggest flaw is that everything is proclaimed in advance. There's no foreshadowing here, it's foreannouncing. The film is framed as a flashback by bookends featuring Jim Carrey in a small part as the adult Joe. His first appearance reveals two important plot developments that come later. His voice-over throughout the movie constantly tells us what is about to happen. It's all so obvious that a woman in the row behind me was "Oh no"-ing for a full minute before the climax of a key scene.
Judd (sibling and daughter of the country singers) and Platt are the liveliest people in the film. She is vivacious, has a likable way and is pleasant to watch. Platt is one of those actors you've seen in minor roles in dozens of movies and is easy to warm up to. Unfortunately Rebecca disappears halfway through and the movie is poorer for it.
Although it's obvious that this is Smith's first role, he and Mazzello are excellent as the two friends. Their amiable friendship makes it even more grievous that the film is flawed. Director Mark Steven Johnson isn't willing to let them win us over, he has to be manipulative about it.
The film is loosely based on John Irving's "A Prayer For Owen Meany". It's so loose that not only is the title character's name changed, but the credits read "suggested by" the novel.
It's a bit confusing as to whether this is a story about two friends, one of whom just happens to be a dwarf or if it's about someone who is "differently abled" who happens to have a good pal. Just when I was admiring the story for treating Simon as a regular human being, a scene would pop up where the audience's heartstrings were tugged at based primarily on his size and awkward movements. This is a fine line and to give Johnson credit, he mostly succeeds at getting us to accept Simon as a boy rather than a freak.
Childhood is amazing. Films like this could allow us to revisit those times we've left behind. Growing up is so full of awe and limitless possibilities that it doesn't need a heavy-handed director to make us to appreciate it.
(Michael Redman as written this very column for over 23 years and sometimes feels like his inner child is taking over. So there. Email your boy- and girlhood misadventures to Redman@indepen.com.)
[This appeared in the 9/10/98 "Bloomington Independent", Bloomington, Indiana. Michael Redman can be contacted at Redman@indepen.com]
-- mailto:redman@indepen.com This week's film review at http://www.indepen.com/ Film reviews archive at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Michael%20Redman
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