It sounds like a movie I saw with Jim Carey?

[Anna]

Does anyone know if there is a movie from this book?

[Helen]

Yes, it's called Simon Birch with Ashley Judd. I think Jim Carey was in it as well. It was very different from the book but was based on it.

[Meels]

It was VERY different from the book. I recommend the book highly, was disappointed in the movie.

[Greg]

Please, please, PLEASE do not substitute the movie "Simon Birch" for reading John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany." Irving felt that the movie's script diverged from the novel so much that he requested all of the characters names be changed. See http://www.aintitcool.com/?q=node/2053

"A Prayer for Owen Meany" deserves a full read. It is one of Irving's best novels, beautifully written and almost perfectly structured in a way that you can't even appreciate until the final scenes tie the diverse narrative together in a surprising and elegant package.

[Melissa]

This book is amazing! It's funny, it's sad, it's human, it's weird. It's full of strange characters like all of John Irving's books. About the fifth time I read it, I started dream-casting the movie...too bad the people who made Simon Birch didn't consult me!

[Riley]

Though Simon Birch runs along a similar parallel as Owen Meany, John Irving refused to give up the naming rights because he didn't believe that the book could properly be adapted. If you were to read the novel, and then watch Simon Birch, you would see that the characters of Owen and Simon are only alike in eerily presence, and height. The book also spans the life of Owen, and the movie uses Simon as a background character to a plot that was a mere subplot in the book. So, in my opinion, there is no movie based upon this novel. There is only a movie that copied a fraction of the book's plot, and used it as a vehicle for Ashley Judd's career.

[Joe]

I would have to agree with Irving in the difficulty of picking up some of Owen's subtle nuances on the big screen. How would we know his thoughts. How would the nativity scene/embarassment be enacted? Everything tied so well in the book that it would seem highly difficult to translate it....as "Simon Birch" showed.

[Susan]

Owen Meany is one of three books I would need on a desert island. It is totally engaging and resonates long after you're finished.

[Laurna]

Jim Carey narrated as the adult.

[Cheryl]

Thank you! There is good to get from this, such as this information. This book was soo much, I can't imagine a movie getting that level Irving's writing does. Can't wait to see it!!

[Staci]

i understand why the movie was adapted as it was. find the adult actor to match up to that kid! anyway i loved both. i cried equally. beautiful.

[Leshawn]

I'm with you Susan, I would need this book on a desert island. It is perfect in every way!
Perfect character development, perfect plot development, perfect title, perfect symbolism!

[Debbi]

20 years ago a friend turned me on to this book as a "must read." I'll admit, I struggled in the beggining and wondered what she found so appealing -- I thought it was quirky and slow moving but I pushed on. OMG! This is one of the BEST books I have ever read and the way it all came together in the end. One of the things I really enjoyed IS how it all seemed unrelated at first and then Irving not only pulled it all together but he did it in a way that wasn't sloppy or lazy, like many of today's authors. It wasn't just a slap-together job of combining the pieces that left you feeling a little betrayed or let down because it "could have been done better" or didn't fully delve into the material. You felt like not only was Irving building on this the whole time BUT that Owen Meany just KNEW he was supposed to be this person as an adult. He was quirky of course but you got a sense that he fully understood the BIG PICTURE.

I didn't ever see the movie and maybe will one day but with the understanding that it is only modeled after the characters.

[Elyse]

One of my all time favorite books and I wish they would publish it as an ebook & it would be on my nook always ready to reread whenever & where ever.

[Wayne]

Absolutely a masterpiece

[[deleted user]]

One of my all time favorites. I would judge people by their opinion of it. If a person doesn't like this book, they are not anyone with whom I choose to develop a relationship. There something deep and personal about it and I think I will read it again.
The only books I have read twice are:
Gone with the wind
Anna Karenina
Lonesome Dove
I am new here but it looks like I don't have a problem with having opinions!!!
The movie was mildly amusing but the casting was great.

[Ray]

brilliant book - one of my faves

made as film Simon Burch, which is my sons name

spooky

[Lisa]

Melissa wrote: "This book is amazing! It's funny, it's sad, it's human, it's weird. It's full of strange characters like all of John Irving's books. About the fifth time I read it, I started dream-casting the m..."

I always dream-cast books, too. LOL And Robin Williams was certainly NOT my Garp.

[Louise]

one of my faves too....
I'm desperately trying to put off ever reading it again, in case it doesnt measure up......

cant imagine it ever being adapted well, so have stayed clear of the tv film.....

[Michael]

This book is both amazing and awesome. There was a movie made out of this story, but author John Irving hated the film so much that he insisted the film producers rename it which they did. It's called, "Simon Birch." It takes several liberties with the storyline, and falls far, far short of the reach and appeal of the book. My recommendation is that you avoid the film and stick with the book

[Chris]

Susan wrote: " Owen Meany is one of three books I would need on a desert island. It is totally engaging and resonates long after you're finished.
"

What are the other 2?

[Erin]

I think part of what makes this book so unfilmable is that it covers such a long expanse of time, and both the main characters grow from young boys to men. Also a movie that tried to have the scope this novel has would need to be 10 hours long.

In my opinion, the only successful movie made from an Irving novel is The Cider House Rules, the one he scripted himself. He shrunk the events down from about twenty years to about two years.

[Margot]

Melissa wrote: "This book is amazing! It's funny, it's sad, it's human, it's weird. It's full of strange characters like all of John Irving's books. About the fifth time I read it, I started dream-casting the m..."

One of my favorites...it changed me..

[Margot]

John Irving is an incredible writer...he always seems to weave into his stories a lesson..what you take from that lesson is up to you. His characters are rich, his stories are haunting.

[Lori]

some day I am going to read Owen meany all the way through. It does look good. but I need the time to devote to it since it is a longer to read book. I liked Simon Birch.it is similar to Owen Meany. but not exactly. i remember Jim Carey being the narrator of the movie.

[Christine]

I was surprised by how much I loved this book. I enjoy lengthy novels, but this was my first Irving so I didn't know what to expect. The novel did stay true to Owen's emphasis on the Big Picture. The novel also sustained in me a humming suspense of what happened. When I tied it all in in my head I didn't want to go on reading for fear and dread. The balance between the adult and adolescent narratives prevent the novel from becoming too much of a commentary on war. Made me reconsider studying history again, it did.

[David]

I enjoyed Irving's classical style. This book requires a quiet time to enjoy the development of the characters and Johnny's relationship with Owen Meany. I had read Cider House Rules, so I knew Irving would tie all of the plot points together eventually.

[Kristi]

I loved the movie Simon Birch. I didn't like the book so much until it was getting to the end. It was overlong and tedious at times and I really struggled with it at times but it was good

[Susan]

Greg wrote: "Please, please, PLEASE do not substitute the movie "Simon Birch" for reading John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany." Irving felt that the movie's script diverged from the novel so much that he req..."

I completely agree with you and never even saw the movie.

[S]

The film only covers the first half of the book, but still has the same ending. This worked in the 1939 film of Wuthering Heights, but not with John Irving. The film "The Door in the Floor" also only covers the first half of Irving's novel A WIDOW FOR ONE YEAR

[Laura]

Jim Carey played the adult version of the main boy character based on John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany's (John Wheelwright in APfOM/Joe Wenteworth in Simon Birch) to answer the original question in this thread.

Contrary to some comments above, however, John Irving did NOT "hate" the movie Simon Birch; per the interviews cited in the link I've posted below, he actually liked the screenplay but thought enough had been changed about the original plot (with Irving's permission) that it warranted changing the title and character names so readers wouldn't feel misled. The opening of the movie mirrors the opening of the book exactly, and much of the first half of the movie DOES emulate the book closely. It's the latter half that's changed (not the first half, as the commenter above states).

A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my top all-time favorite books, and John Irving is my favorite author. It's a book that stays with you a long time after you finish reading it and leaves you thinking much about the roles of fate and destiny in our lives, and if you believe in them. The early part of the book may have a bit of a slow start, but the opening sentence is one of the most memorable and perfect lines ever. And the way the book ties everything together at the end, as others have noted above, is incredible.

I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the movie even if it didn't replicate the book exactly. The characters were well-cast (with Jim Carrey as a pleasant surprise, not credited until the end of the movie, nor shown in the trailer). The movie was amusing and moving, and the scenery shot was absolutely gorgeous, even if it was actually shot in Canada. Perhaps it was a bit on the sentimental side, but as a sentimental person, I don't mind that.

As John Irving himself noted, this book would be extremely difficult to replicate it as a movie. I think it could be better done in today's world of Hulu/Netflix/AmazonPrime/etc offerings as a miniseries or a limited series, much like TNT's The Alienist has been reimagined from a book into a very enthralling limited series. I hope at some point John Irving would consider allowing that to be done with his book. But if not, I'm perfectly content to just reread APfOM and get lost in its genius and meditation on life, regardless.

Here's the article linked I mentioned earlier for those interested in learning more about the Simon Birch/Owen Meany connection:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/63462/...

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