While playing baseball, Simon Birch is given the perfect pitch, and hits it. Sunday School teacher Leavey belittles Simon, telling him that he doesn't belong in church and his belief that God has a special plan for him is ridiculous. At Sunday morning service, Simon expresses his belief to Reverend Russell in front of the congregation that the niceties of church aren’t necessary, saying that if God has made niceties a priority, they are all in big trouble. He meets Joe and Simon and brings a stuffed armadillo for Joe. One day Rebecca invites drama teacher Ben Goodrich over for dinner. Simon is obsessed with how long he can hold his breath underwater, always trying to improve this ability. Her refusal to reveal the identity of the father has made Joe a subject of rumors and gossip. The only fact anyone knows about Joe's parentage is that Rebecca met his father on a train. Joe's mother, Rebecca Wenteworth, got pregnant when she was in high school. As a kid, he loves baseball even though he almost never gets to play during Little League, and when he does, it’s only to get a walk due to his abnormally small strike zone. In 1952, Simon is the smallest newborn in the history of Gravestown. On an autumn morning, an adult Joe Wenteworth visits the grave of his childhood friend Simon Birch and narrates Simon's story as the film transitions to the 1960s. The main plot centers on 12-year-old Joe Wenteworth and his best friend Simon Birch, who was born with dwarfism. The opening credits of the film state that it was 'suggested by' Irving's novel. The name 'Simon Birch' was suggested by him to replace that of Owen Meany. 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. It omitted much of the latter half of the novel and altered the ending. The film stars Ian Michael Smith, Joseph Mazzello, Jim Carrey, Ashley Judd, and Oliver Platt. Simon Birch is a 1998 American comedy-drama film loosely based on the 1989 novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving and written for the screen and directed by Mark Steven Johnson in his directorial debut.

Simon birch true story