Yet another voice heard from over Simon Birch. One thing for sure, any film that promotes as many reviews as we have received has to being doing something right, this movie does stir up the emotions.
I never really write to you guys, I figure I'm not enough of a movie geek to merit ever being posted, I live in Calgary and I'm like 16 years old so I'm kinda the last person in the world to get cool Hollywood news.. but I just got back from seeing that sneak preview of Simon Birch. Now I had no idea i was gonna see the movie today (my freind calls me up 1 hour before the movie starts and i take a train halfway across town and barely make it there in time) so I end up reading Moriarty's review beforehand, which I woulda never done had I known I was gonna see the movie. These things tend to influence me. So anyways, I thought I'd share my thoughts seeing as the movie doesn't come out for a while, trying to stay unbiased.
First off, Ian Michael Smith has this thing about him. In a good way. I mean, I see this guy and I SEE the way Simon should be. I mean, it doesn't hurt that the kid is 2 feet tall and wears a hearing aid and glasses.... but the way he is is disconcerting. I read a thing about him in Premiere a couple weeks back and wasn't sure what to think.... I mean a magazine is not going to diss a handicapped kid so wasn't really surprised when they put him on a pedestal the way he did. But everything they said about this kid Harry, I mean everything, was fucking truthful. Put aside that the script DID suck shit and hearing Simon say every five minutes that he was a fucking hero from God or that kids love him had all the emotional value of Howie Long in Firestorm... You have this kid that's hilarious in his mannerisms and at the same time so pitiful you wonder "What the hell?!"
Jim Carrey's little cameo/narration thing wasn't bad. I mean, of course he needs to do stuff like that to further himself in his quest for the "Robin Williams'-comedian-to-dramatic-actor" holy grail, but I mean, put that aside and he's just your regular old joe doing a decent performance where you won't point him out for being bad, but don't end up going "man this guy is reading from a script" like Moriarty said. Although, I think it was really decent of whoever was responsible for advertising Simon Birch to not advertise Jim at all. Most of the posters and cardboard standees don't even mention his name.
Ashley Judd and Joe Mazzello I couldn't give two shits about. Ashley Judd's not exactly a woody and a half and her death was so overplayed. Joe Mazzello... again I gotta disagree with Moriarty when he says that he had some charm in Radio Flyer. I don't think he really did, it was more just the fact that he himself had this innocence to him.. and that coupled with that whole child abuse motif... That's what makes you feel what you do. Put any babyfaced kid in Radio Flyer and have an abusive alchoholic kick the shit out of him and you're gonna feel pain... He didn't really stand out much, kinda a static character that you don't feel anything for. you don't really root for him and you don't really see where he's coming from half the time. Again, could be the really bad script that did it. Oliver Platt... now here's something weird. I've never liked this guy that much. I think it's his sheer presence over his acting ability. I mean most of the time he's just there to jump in and give the movie a little flavor, as the guy who's always there to put in his little two cents and whine or whatever. Bulworth, Dolittle, Beethoven.. Always like that. But this movie, he was different. Could be the character he played... but you really liked the guy. I tried seeing other people in that role and couldn't really do it. I mean im sure if you put someone else in he'd do a fine job, but after seeing him do the job, and do it well, I couldn't see anyone else.
What I noticed about the movie as a whole is that you don't QUESTION anything like I feel they want you to. The fact that they repeat that "God's place" shit so many times... I guarantee you Mark Steven Johnson could die a happy man if he heard someone coming out of the theatre going "man, I wonder what's God's plan for me?" Not gonna happen, Mark. You fucked it all up. I didn't feel anything coming out of there. Boo Hoo, he's dead. He saved a busload of children. If you want to make him a hero, quit repeating every five seconds that he wants to be one and don't make it so fucking obvious.
As for that whole father thing with Joe, not bad. Didn't really care but that part where the Rev. and Oliver Platt are standing next to each other and Joe goes "ill see you sunday rev." was kinda neat. They didn't overplay that and it came out getting the message across pretty well. Holding hands and walking down the hallways with the bright white sun coming in through the window was slightly cheesy, but in context was kinda neat. And as for those damned tear-jerking scenes that any movie about handis can't do without.... that one deathbed one was really really stupid. I mean, talk about cliche. The guy is dying, but doesn't until he's on the litle hospital bed and stays alive till Joe comes in the room.. Finally joe comes, they talk, Joe starts breaking out into tears, and Simon says one last one liner before slowly closing his eyes whereupon Joe breaks into huge tears and cries louder.
Fade out.
Too much too much too much. I'll stick with "earn this" any day of the week. Now I haven't seen the Mighty but am looking foreward to seeing how it holds up to this. The word Culkin in anything always throws me off going into a movie... Father of the Bride "left foot right foot" my ass. But like I said, Moriarty's talking about how good it is annd how good HE is so I'm gonna take my chances.
All in all, not a terrible movie, something you'd probably wanna bring a chick who ISNT a huge movie buff to. That's my two cents, God that movie kicked ass.
Suicide King
