Simon Birch

Simon Birch is a 1998 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson in his directorial debut, loosely based on the 1989 novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. The film stars Ian Michael Smith in his only acting role, Joseph Mazzello, Jim Carrey, Ashley Judd, and Oliver Platt. It omitted much of the latter half of the novel and altered the ending. The film does not share the book's title at Irving's request; he did not believe that his novel could successfully be made into a film. The name "Simon Birch" was suggested by him to replace that of Owen Meany. The opening credits of the film state that it was "suggested by" Irving's novel. The main plot centers on 12-year-old Joe Wenteworth and his best friend Simon Birch, who was born with dwarfism. Simon Birch was released by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution on September 11, 1998. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office failure that grossed just $18.3 million against a budget of $20 million.