Simon Birch | |
---|---|
Directed by | Mark Steven Johnson |
Produced by | Roger Birnbaum
Laurence Mark |
Starring |
Ian Michael Smith |
Music by | Marc Shaiman |
Cinematography | Aaron E. Schneider |
Editing by | Amanda Burns |
Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
Release | September 18, 1998 |
Running time | 114 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $30 million |
Gross revenue | $18,253,415 |
Simon Birch is a 1998 comedy-drama film loosely based on A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. It was directed and written for the screen by Mark Steven Johnson. The film stars Ian Michael Smith, Joseph Mazzello, Jim Carrey, Ashley Judd, and Oliver Platt. It omitted much of the latter half of the novel and altered the ending. The movie does not share the book's title at Irving's request; he did not believe that this novel could successfully be made into a film. The name "Simon Birch" was suggested by him to replace that of Owen Meany. The main plot centers around 12-year old Joe Wenteworth and his best friend Simon Birch.
Cast[]
- Ian Michael Smith as Simon Birch
- Joseph Mazzello as Joe Wenteworth
- Jim Carrey as Adult Joe / Narrator
- Ashley Judd as Rebecca Wenteworth
- Oliver Platt as Ben Goodrich
- David Strathairn as Reverend Russell
- Dana Ivey as Grandmother Wenteworth
- Beatrice Winde as Hilde Grove
- Jan Hooks as Miss Leavey
- Cecilley Carroll as Marjorie
- Sumela-Rose Keramidopulos as Ann
- Sam Morton as Stuart
- Holly Dennison as Mrs. Birch
- Peter MacNeill as Mr. Birch
- Thomas J. Burns as Simon Birch Stunt Double
Production[]
The bus crash scene was filmed near Ontario's French River. The film's quarry scenes were shot at Elora, Ontario. The church featured in many parts of the film is in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Its black borders were painted white for the film. At the end of the film when it switches to the future, the borders are black. The baseball scene as well as many indoor scenes were filmed in Glen Williams, Ontario.