Based on John Irving's adorable novel, this Mark Steven Johnson's movie (this was his first movie as director), was also known as Angels and Armadillos, To Small Miracle and To Prayer for Owen Meany, during his production stage. Great Jerry Goldsmith was was associated with this movie, though finally it was Shaiman who realized this only collaboration with the director of awful movies as Daredevil or Ghost Rider.

With a good cast (and interesting supporting actors as Ashley Judd or Oliver Platt), this beautiful movie touches the sensibility of even the most tanned viewer, and becomes so unforgettable as Simon Birch. The score is one of the most beautiful works of all Shaiman´s career, conceived with the piano as soul and in an important stage of his whole career, because in this same time, the composer would reach the summit with this score and others as My Giant and, specially, Patch Adams.

With some comical moments (caused by the armadillo affair and other enterteining situations), this work also contains several delicate tunes, full of sweetness, a real prodigy of sensibility and a clear exponent of Shaiman's great talent as composer of great themes. With a place for tragedy, the score remains brief represented in the official cd release (little more than 20 minutes of music), a compilation of classics (Peggy Lee, Smokey Robinson, The Impressions, The Drifters ...) and a unnecesary ballad by Babyface. Therefore there remains unpublished great music by Marc Shaiman, and the movie deserves to be rescued because of the music. A delicious movie and a sample of the good movie for the family, also a new victory for the composer.

The scarce 20 minutes of the official release summarize Shaiman's work, across some of many brilliant main themes. This work can be qualified as prodigious, very varied and complete, since it shelters an extensive quantity of themes and motives. We can summarize them of the following form:

1. Main Theme. Its Simon Birch's theme. Excellent and that will know different versions along the movie. The main version appears in the track "Simon's Theme" from the official release.
2. Friendship themes. The relationship between the boys centres this movie and its score, for what the friendship between years is a motive of several big themes that are summarized in the track "Friends Forever" from the official release.
3. Comical themes. In the official release they remain minimally represented in parts of the track "Simon's Birth" (this track also includes really beautiful passages that never appears again in the rest of the score). There are numerous incidental tracks in the movie, very varied of enterteining notes and that also shelter intimate parts, all of them composer for baseball games, classroom jokes, a Christmas play (a spirited track that includes notes of an old Christmas carol, as comical resource), or the discovery of the armadillo, among other many moments thatremains unpublished. A lot of superb and varied music that fits into this category.
4. Simon's secondary theme. Its a Simon Birch's second theme, also with the piano as protagonist, more sad and sentimental than the main one. It appears as a theme that reflects the affliction and the drama after Ms. Wenteworth´s death. It will know some beautiful variations.
5. Ms. Wenteworth´s Theme. It appears when Simon demonstrates his fondness and admiration towards her, with notes of harmonica, and appellant along the work, so much with his presence as evoking his memory.
6. Action tracks. Thought for the dramatic final accident. Its new music with regard to the rest of the composition and really exciting. Excellent passages with slight synthesized base and skilful use of the piano as slight underlining.
7. Songs and other themes. Up to twelve, including the one for the final credits, totally unnecessary. The most significant are The Peter Gunn theme, composed by Henry Mancini, used as support for the detective´s game, and especially, the song Fever, which appears in three occasions, always as support to Simon's sexual awakening.

One of the masterpieces of the author, with many and varied comic tracks and an endless list of admirable musical themes, of a perfect dramatic quality and a score that demands complete edition.

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