| Director | Mark Steven Johnson |
|---|---|
| Genre | buddy film, comedy film, coming-of-age film, drama film, film based on a novel |
| Runtime | 113 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Box office | $18.3 million |
An adult Joe Wenteworth visits the grave of his late friend, Simon Birch. He narrates over as the film transitions to their childhood in 1964. Simon is the smallest child in the history of Gravestown. His callous parents show little to no concern for his wellbeing. 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 and his inability to run. Rebecca, Joe's mother who is the belle of the town, fell pregnant with Joe after meeting a man on a train. Her refusal to reveal the identity of the father has resulted in Joe's reputation as the town's love child. She was also seen as a mother-figure to Simon as his parents were very distant of him.
One day, Rebecca invites drama teacher Ben Goodrich over for dinner. He meets the boys and gifts Joe a stuffed armadillo. Simon takes an instant liking to Ben, but Joe is initially standoffish, as he just wants to find his birth father. Rebecca invites Ben with them to church one Sunday morning. During church announcements, Simon expresses his beliefs to Reverend Russell that church activities are irrelevant to glorifying God. Sunday school teacher Miss Leavey sits him in a corner until he apologizes. She berates him, saying he doesn't belong in church. Outraged upon hearing this, Rebecca argues with Leavey as she comes to pick up Simon, calling out her insecurities towards Simon's abundant faith.
During a baseball game, Simon hits the perfect pitch. It becomes a foul ball that hits Rebecca in the head, killing her. A remorseful Simon gives Joe his prized baseball cards as an apology, to which Joe gives Simon the stuffed armadillo as forgiveness. Joe's grandmother informs Joe that her own death is imminent due to her age, and there must be a plan for him once her time comes, as Rebecca never told anyone who Joe's father was, even in confidence. Simon believes that Joe's father may have taken the baseball that killed Rebecca. Deeming their gym teacher a fitting candidate, they break into his office to see if he has it, but it isn't there. Overwhelmed with despair, Joe vandalizes the office. The police chief agrees to release them if they volunteer at the children's retreat over winter break. After they agree on the arrangement, he doesn't know whom to call to pick them up, since Simon's parents chose to let him spend the night there as a lesson. Simon has the idea to ask Ben. He then picks them up, forgives them, and takes them for ice cream. Simon tells Ben of his destiny to be a hero but admits that he doesn't know what that will imply. However, he fears it could happen momentarily, and might miss it.
A Christmas pageant with a Nativity play is organized by Leavey. Simon, being forced to play the Baby Jesus, criticizes Leavey's poor creative decisions, resulting in Russell confiscating Simon's baseball cards until the pageant is over. The play proves disastrous as the turtle dove costumes look like winged mutant turtles, the youth group in the pageant sing a mock version of "Joy to the World" while the choir sings, the wise men cannot remember "We Three Kings", and Howard's acrophobia causes him to forget his lines. It soon escalates to violent chaos when Simon, incited by seeing Marjorie's cleavage, makes a move on her. Howard's harness breaks due to his weight, swinging him back and forth repeatedly, eventually vomiting on Leavey. As punishment for the sexual assault and ruining the pageant, Russell suspends Simon from the church, expels him from the winter retreat, and refuses him the return of his baseball cards. Simon admits he wants to know God's purpose for him. While looking for Simon at his home, Joe berates his parents for their lack of care for him. As the church departs for the retreat, Simon comes by the church to say goodbye to Joe. Later on, he breaks into Russell's office to retrieve his cards, where he discovers the fateful baseball, implicating Russell as Joe's father. Simon has Ben drive him to the retreat to inform Joe, arriving just as Russell has already told him.
While Simon and Joe are riding the bus home, the driver swerves to miss a deer and it crashes into a lake. With the driver abandoning the bus and Russell unconscious, Simon takes command and gets everyone out with Joe's help, but nearly drowns while saving the last child and passes out from hypothermia. Later, Joe wakes up in the hospital and goes to visit Simon, who was dying from Cold shock response. He sees Marjorie call Simon brave and kiss him, before leaving and letting Joe talk to him. Simon wakes up upon hearing him, remarking how his small size worked to his advantage in evacuating the kids. Simon requested that Joe holds on to his baseball cards and bid him farewell as he passes away, in which Joe mourned him. Joe's grandmother passes away that summer and he is adopted by Ben just before his 13th birthday. Back in the present day with adult Joe at Simon's grave, Joe's son, named after Simon, reminds him that he has a soccer game, and they drive away as the film ends.