In the movie Simon Birch there are many values and life lessons throughout the movie. The main characters are, Simon Birch, Joe Wenteworth, Rebecca Wenteworth, Ben Goodrich, and Reverend Russell. In the beginning of the movie Simon Birch is born with a lot of physical disabilities. One night Rebecca Wenteworth, Joe’s mother, brings home her new date Ben Goodrich. Later on in the movie, Simon and Joe are on a baseball team, and it is Simon’s turn to hit the ball. Simon hits the ball, which accidentally kills Mrs. Wenteworth, because it hit her on the head. On one Sunday morning, Simon starts to argue with the minister, and he gets in trouble but Mrs. Wenteworth is there to save Simon from the mean Sunday school teacher. Simon is not allowed to go on the retreat because he got in trouble at Sunday school. When Joe and the rest of the class go on the retreat, Simon figures out that Reverend Russell is Joe’s father because the baseball that killed Mrs. Wenteworth is in his office. At the retreat Reverend Russell is about to tell Joe that he is his father, but he figures it out and Joe is upset. On the way home from the retreat the bus falls into a lake, and everyone is panicking to get out. Simon stops everyone, and makes a plan to safely evacuate the bus, but when Simon, who came to the lake with Ben, is helping rescue the kids he almost drowns and dies. He is in the hospital, and Joe gets to say goodbye to him, before he dies. In the movie Simon Birch there are many life lessons and values portrayed such as, always forgive your friends, never forget people when they are gone, and do not judge a book by its cover.

In the movie, one important life lesson is always forgive your friends. For example, Simon forgives Joe for embarrassing him in front of the two girls. In addition, Joe forgives Simon for accidentally killing his mother. Joe forgives Simon because he can tell that Simon is really sorry. This shows that if you do not forgive your friends, you might lose something really awesome. This also shows that if you are a forgiving person, people will respect you, and you will most likely have a lot of friends. It is important to always forgive your friends, just like Simon and Joe always forgave each other. It is important to always forgive your friends because if you do not then you might lose great people that stick up for you, and really care about you.

In the movie, Simon Birch, another life lesson is never forget people when they are gone. Even though Joe’s mother was killed, both Joe and Simon never forgot her. She meant a lot to not only Joe, but Simon, because she was almost like the mother he never had. She was always there for both of the boys. You should always remember how much people meant to you. Another example is Joe never forgot Simon, even after he died. This is important because Joe really respected Simon. Even years after his death, Joe named his own son Simon, and he also visited his grave. This shows that Joe knew what a great friend Simon really was. If you remember people, then even years after you will remember the difference they made in your life, and others.

The most important life lesson portrayed in the movie is, do not judge a book by its cover. This is a metaphor for; people should not judge other people just for the way they look. Even though Simon looked different from other kids, he was still the same. Simon was a great person, maybe even better than the average person. He made a difference in everyone’s life, because even though he was small and looked different, he was loving, caring, thoughtful, and smart. He made people think about what is inside, rather than what is on the outside. The kids had not listened to Simon during the bus accident; they probably would not have survived. Simon safely evacuated them from the bus in an orderly manner. If Joe judged Simon, he may have never met his great friend. Do not judge people by what is on the outside because, it is not about what is on the outside, it is about what is in the inside.

The main messages in the movie, Simon Birch, are always forgive people, never forget people when they are gone. Although those examples are important, do not judge a book by its cover is the most important life lesson. This is the most important because if might not get to really know the person, and you might not see who they are in the inside. Also if you do not forgive people, you may lose someone really great. Never forget people when they are gone. Joe never forgot his mother, and he defiantly never forgot his best friend Simon. This movie really shows a lot of important values and life lessons.