![]() The narration comes across as if Joe is fondly remembering a childhood pet rather than a best friend. Because of Simon’s size he is infantized to a younger age than the rest of his classmates and objectified as they pass him around the class like a toy. ![]() This ‘funny’ introduction to Simon is less funny if you’ve experienced this kind of thing first hand and can be quite degrading. ![]() The scene is played for laughs and is meant to raise a smile for its audience, but nobody thinks about the bigger picture. Simon Birch wants the audience to relax and feel good, but for those who see what is happening to Simon then it’s a different story. Simon was clever, resourceful and just like any other boy his age He says that they couldn’t help but pick him up and carry him around the classroom when the teacher wasn’t around because he was so cute and little. The audience is introduced to Simon in class, Adult Joe tells the audience that he was great friends with Simon and that the class loved to play with him. Everything in Simon Birch has been designed to make the audience feel good about the past from the set design, to the costumes and the dialogue, they have all been tailored to put the audience at ease, despite what happens in the film and what happens to Simon. After a short explanation of Simon’s birth (of which Joe wouldn’t have been present) the audience is introduced to Simon at school and immediately the ableism creeps in and Simon is expected to take it all with good humour. The film immediately goes back to another time, a simpler time and the audience is introduced to a very quaint, nostalgic and rose-tinted view of the world back then. So, the film goes back in time to the mid Fifties-early Sixties to tell the story of Simon Birch and his friendship with Joe. Bookending the film, an adult Joe Wentworth ( Jim Carrey) comes to a grave and narrates a story about a boy that he remembers fondly from his childhood. Thinking that nobody would be able to turn his novel into a film, Irving suggested the name Simon Birch and certain elements of the book’s plot were changed, but still the film states that it is ‘suggested’ by Irving’s novel. Simon Birch is a film directed by Mark Steven Johnson and based on the book ‘ A Prayer for Owen Meany’ by John Irving. Joe and Simon loved being outdoors, having fun and talking about girls Simon was also born with stunted growth, but despite this he still does everything an able-bodied child would do – just try and stop him. They do everything together, they go swimming, they play at each other’s houses and they spend a lot of their time talking about girls just like any other twelve-year-old boys. Joe Wentworth ( Joseph Mazzello) and Simon Birch ( Ian Michael Smith) are best friends. Occasionally though, a person will pop into your head that you haven’t thought about in years and all the good memories will come flooding back. However, not all friendships last, people move away, they argue or they just meet other friends, leaving one behind. Often, they may find that they share the same sense of humour and from there, the more they talk to each other then they find they have a lot in common. Most times, children find some things in common with each other such as a toy they both like to play with or a television show that they both like watching. When we’re kids it can be difficult to open up to new people and come out of your shell to show who you really are. Most people had a best friend when they were at school, whether that friendship lasted or made an impact on their lives is a different matter.
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