Simon Birch

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Simon Birch

PG,

1998,

1h 53m,

Comedy/

Drama

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Watchlist

Watchlist

54%

26 Reviews

Tomatometer

77%

50,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

54%

Tomatometer

26 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Simon Birch (Ian Michael Smith) and Joe Wentworth (Joseph Mazzello) are boys who have a reputation for being oddballs. Joe never knew his father, and his mother, Rebecca (Ashley Judd), is keeping her lips sealed, no matter how much he protests. Simon, meanwhile, is an 11-year-old dwarf whose outsize personality belies his small stature. Indeed, he often assails the local reverend (David Strathairn) with thorny theological questions and joins Joe on his quest to find his biological father.

Critics Consensus

Overly mushy; tries too hard to pull at the heart-strings.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 1, 2000

3/4

Simon Birch is an unabashedly sentimental tearjerker. Either you stand back and resist it, or you plunge in. There was something about its innocence and spunk that got to me, and I caved in.

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Leonard Schwarz

Palo Alto Weekly

May 20, 2003

1.5/4

John R. McEwen

Film Quips Online

Feb 8, 2003

4/5

Gerry Shamray

Your Movies (cleveland.com)

Feb 7, 2003

5/5

Great, overlooked film.

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Caffeinated Clint

Moviehole

Sep 17, 2002

3/5

Wonderfully performed and syrupy sweet

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Marty Mapes

Movie Habit

Aug 21, 2002

2/4

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Harry S

Aug 25, 2018

Fantastic film!!!!! Highly recommend

Hagrid W

Dec 20, 2017

Great movie! First movie my kids ever cried! Buying it for my grandcgildren to see now. Kids need to see some emotional movies. They really have no empathy these days.

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Hagrid S

Jul 17, 2017

Good adaptation of Irving's book.

Ron L

Jun 24, 2017

This movie was really good and had the perfect story to tell.

Harry S

May 25, 2017

All these haters have absolutely no soul. Lovely film. Heartwarming, humorous, and a new favorite of mine.

Draco S

Feb 23, 2017

Such an underrated film, Simon Birch delivers laugh, love, and tears all in one film!

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Mark Steven Johnson

Director

Ian Michael Smith

Simon Birch

Joseph Mazzello

Joseph 'Joe' Wenteworth

Ashley Judd

Rebecca Wenteworth

Oliver Platt

Ben Goodrich

David Strathairn

Rev. Russell

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Synopsis

Simon Birch (Ian Michael Smith) and Joe Wentworth (Joseph Mazzello) are boys who have a reputation for being oddballs. Joe never knew his father, and his mother, Rebecca (Ashley Judd), is keeping her lips sealed, no matter how much he protests. Simon, meanwhile, is an 11-year-old dwarf whose outsize personality belies his small stature. Indeed, he often assails the local reverend (David Strathairn) with thorny theological questions and joins Joe on his quest to find his biological father.

Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Producer: Roger Birnbaum
Screenwriter: Mark Steven Johnson, John Irving
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Hollywood Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 11, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $18.3M
Runtime: 1h 53m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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