stolen, not earned, in the Disneyfied, dumbed-down adaptation of John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by writer-director Mark Steven Johnson" (18).
             Ian Michael Smith, an 11-year-old with Morquio Syndrome, plays the film's title character (7.). Simon is a Christ-like figure who, as the movie's tag line suggests, destiny has big plans for. Knowing he is living on borrowed time Simon tries to make the most of his time. He does this by looking for signs from God that will help him fulfill the destiny he knows is waiting for him.
             Joe Wenteworth is Simon's best friend, and on one level the film involves the friendship of the two boys. With both of them being considered outcasts in their small town they, of course, find each other and form a strong friendship.
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