Simon Birch, played by Ian Michael Smith, is half the size of all the other twelve-year-olds. Embarrassed by their son's size, Simon's insensitive parents consistently neglect him in every way possible. However, Simon is best friends with Joe and Joe's mother Mrs. Wentworth, portrayed by Ashley Judd. Joe's mom gets killed by a freak accident in a baseball game, but Joe's search for his real father continues. Simon and Joe help each other in and out of adventures and trouble until a tragedy turns Simon into a hero.

From the visually impaired point of view, this movie starts out in a difficult fashion. I needed descriptions consistently through the first ten minutes or so. Lots of visuals, quick scene changes and very little dialogue. Things got better but I did not relax much throughout this movie. There were only two main characters with distinct voices. There were a number of other characters but they did not throw off my comprehension of the story much. That was good. There was very little background music or sound effects that interfered with the flow. However, there were two scenes that were very difficult and would not have made much sense without a sighted assistant. One was a very funny Nativity scene in a play presented by the local church. The other was when the busload of children plunged into a nearby lake. The ensuing rescue was all visual.

I can only give this picutre a 5 but will encourage you to go with a good sighted assistant. In spite of the difficulties, the sweetness of this movie still comes through.