Simon Birch
This screen adaptation of John Irving's novelA Prayer for Owen  Meanywas appreciated much more by audiences than by the majority of disapproving critics. Irving's books have  fared only moderately well on film, and whileThe World According to Garpgarnered  critical praise,The Hotel New Hampshirewas waiting in the wings  to counteract the fanfare.Simon Birchis one of those nostalgic movies--determined to view the past in rose-colored hues--despite the fact that its  protagonist, a dwarf named Simon Birch, is wholeheartedly unsympathetic. The  film opens weepily, with Jim Carrey as the adult version of the  film's main character and narrator, Joe Wenteworth (played as a youth by the  serious young actor Joseph Mazzello). He's mourning at the grave of his best  childhood friend, Simon Birch, with whom he had bonded instantly  because both were misfits--one a dwarf, the other illegitimate.  The deck is stacked from the beginning, especially when the camera dwells on  Joe's  luscious mom, Rebecca (Ashley Judd), who refuses to reveal the identity of Joe's father, which in turn urges Simon and Joe to embark on a quest to  discover Joe's paternity. In a plot point that resemblesThe Scarlet  Letter, the tide of fate turns on the "immoral" mom just as she's  on the verge of finding true love with a decent fellow (played by Oliver  Platt).Simon Birchultimately descends into crudeness, though it asks the  audience to continue to engage with its crass lead character. By the end, the  film is reduced to drivel, cliché, and melodrama to tug our heartstrings into  submission. All the things that should have  been the film's focus--guilt, self-loathing, and redemption--remain elusive.--Paula Nechak