Simon Birch (film) Simon Birch is the smallest baby ever born at Gravestown Memorial Hospital, and as he gets older, he remains small. Certain he is going to become a hero, he argues about faith with his Sunday school teacher and priest, and pals around with his best friend, Joe. However, when his first hit in a baseball game, a high foul ball, accidentally kills Joe’s mother, the destinies of the two boys become linked. Simon helps Joe look for his father, while trying to figure out how he is supposed to become a hero. A Hollywood Pictures film in association with Caravan Pictures. Released on September 11, 1998. Directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Stars Ian Michael Smith (Simon Birch), Joseph Mazzello (Joe Wenteworth), Ashley Judd (Rebecca Wenteworth), Oliver Platt (Ben Goodrich), David Strathairn (Rev. Russell), Jan Hoods (Miss Leavey). Jim Carrey appears briefly as the adult Joe Wenteworth and narrator. Eleven-year-old Smith is afflicted with Morquio’s syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes dwarfism. 114 min. Suggested by John Irving’s best-selling novel A Prayer for Owen Meany. Filmed on location mostly in Canada, ranging from Toronto to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The bus accident was filmed both in the French River, 250 miles north of Toronto, and, to get underwater close-ups safely, in the USC Olympic Stadium pool in Los Angeles. Released on video in 1999.
