Simon Birch

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Simon Birch

PG

Released Sep 11, 1998

1h 53m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

44%

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32 Reviews

77%

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50,000+ Ratings

Simon Birch (Ian Michael Smith) and Joe Wenteworth (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.

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Critics Consensus

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

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Globe and Mail

Rated: 1/4

Apr 12, 2002

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USA Today

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

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.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Film Threat

Rated: 2.5/5

Dec 6, 2005

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Leonard Schwarz

Palo Alto Weekly

Rated: 1.5/4

May 20, 2003

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John R. McEwen

Film Quips Online

Rated: 4/5

Feb 8, 2003

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Jerod S

Simon was born small and lived 'special' for his entire life. Things change when the mom he never had gets hit by a baseball and dies. It might be mushy - but it has smiles and values built in.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/25/24

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Maggie S

I LOVE this movie. I don’t need to write something longwinded about it. I have seen it many many times! It’s just one of the movies, I am so thankful they made. So good xo

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/30/24

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isla s

This is very much a family film, one with a fair dosage of sentimentality, cheese and cliche. This isn't always a bad thing and there is something somehow comforting about it, even though you can guess most of what happens. Its an easy, light watch and it won't likely offend or upset people, which is a good thing I guess. It's not exactly memorable or particularly good but its a fairly decent watch - I wouldn't outright recommend it as such but there are certainly worse films out there, so, I'll leave it up to you whether you should bother to see it or not.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Seriously, F the so-called “critics”. This movie is wonderful.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/11/21

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Audience Member

This movie is moving AF. Sick of these depressed reviewers who think that movies have to be pretentious to be noteworthy.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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steve d

Melodramatic mess that doesn't forget to laugh at groping.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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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 Wenteworth (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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