A drama that is both heartwarming and intelligent, Simon Birch is a rare find among those in its genre. The title character is played by Ian Michael Smith, who displays a remarkable dramatic range. The supporting cast includes Oliver Platt, Joseph Mazzello, and Ashley Judd, all of whom create strong characters and add color and flavor to the film. I do tire of the stereotypical faithless, overbearing minister caricature, here played by David Strathairn, and the movie is overly manipulative at times, mostly when dealing with this character. But the scenes with Platt's character sparkle.