I Am Sam

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I Am Sam

87% Liked It
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I Am Sam

Sean Penn, Dakota Fanning, Dianne Wiest, Laura Dern, Michelle Pfeiffer

A mentally retarded man fights for custody of his 7-year-old daughter, and in the process teaches his cold-hearted lawyer the value of love and family.

Id: 10191086

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Recent Reviews

I Am Sam Recent Reviews
  • SirPant
    September 18, 2009
    SirPant
    A sweet film with good performances from Penn and Fanning.
  • Darksome
    May 28, 2009
    Darksome
    Not a bad movie, watched it in class.
  • mrpopcorn
    October 28, 2008
    mrpopcorn
    "love is all you need"

    Sean Penn stars in this drama as Sam Dawson, a developmentally disabled adult who has been working at a coffee shop and raising his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning) for seven years. Sam receives help in his parenting duties from a circle of trusted ...( read more)confidantes, including his ADD-afflicted best friend Ifty (Doug Hutchison), the paranoid Robert (Stanley DeSantis), an agoraphobic neighbor (Dianne Wiest), and his other disabled pals, Brad and Joe (played by real-life developmentally challenged actors Brad Silverman and Joseph Rosenberg). Although he provides a structured and loving environment for Lucy that includes regular visits to IHOP, video nights, and karaoke, Sam's daughter is beginning to surpass him in mental acuity. When Lucy begins intentionally stunting her own growth so as not to hurt her beloved father, social worker Margaret (Loretta Devine) takes action, removing the girl from her home and placing her in the temporary care of a foster mother, Randy (Laura Dern). As the day of his hearing looms, Sam seeks out the aid of driven, obsessive lawyer Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer), who takes the case only to prove to her colleagues that she is willing to accept pro bono work. Opposed by county lawyer Turner (Richard Schiff) in court, Rita gradually comes to care for her client and his daughter, even as they force her to consider the limitations of her own abilities as a parent. The soundtrack for I Am Sam (2001) gained considerable critical attention, consisting entirely of Beatles cover songs by such contemporary artists as The Black Crowes, Eddie Vedder, the Wallflowers, and Aimee Mann, among others.

    Review
    This movie was very emotionally involving and rife with the talent of all actors included. Sean Penn did a remarkable job portraying Sam and a very young Dakota Fanning also gave an outstanding performance as his daughter Lucy. Michelle Pfeiffer was also wonderful as Sam's lawyer Rita. The plot was very well thought out and certainly unique. I loved it. While there were certainly moments of sadness, the times of profound joy at other points in this movie certainly counteracted them, making it a fabulous film that I would highly recommend to other viewers. 5/5
  • kiriyamakazou
    August 21, 2008
    kiriyamakazou
    I Am Sam is one of those manipulative pieces of cinema that favours mallets over the head as opposed to intelligent subtlety. The film has no less than 5 break down into tears and give huge speeches moments. I would expect when people are really that upset and emotionally open it...( read more) would be harder to string together cohesive sentences and put forth strong convincing arguments but apparently not. Of course everybody learns a valuable lesson from Sam's exploits and in turn improve their own life. YAY! If you're the kind of person that needs explicit signs to inform you "This scene is sad", "This scene is happy" you may squeeze a lot of enjoyment out of this. Penns performance often balances on the hilarious and Pfeiffers hard ass with a heart of gold lawyer comes from a little town called cliche. It goes on too long, especially since I know how it is going to end from the outset. It never once questions that perhaps Sam may not have the capacity to be a father, and rather than deal with difficult issues such as maybe showing a scene where he does hit a child or does put his daughter in danger, this is far too lovely and simple.
  • irisheyes686
    August 16, 2008
    irisheyes686
    This movie is so heartwarming and sad. Sean Penn did an amazing job with his character, as did Dakota Fanning.
  • manelleannbc
    November 5, 2009
    manelleannbc
    i cried when i've seen this movie... very touching one... love it... i miss my dad...
  • marianebaunsit
    November 4, 2009
    marianebaunsit
    pretty much. A-D-orable. great father..
  • TGNprayerplace
    October 29, 2009
    TGNprayerplace
    It was awesome. Wish I could watch it on here
  • sarahgoode
    October 28, 2009
    sarahgoode
    Somewhat of a huge commercial for Staburcks (super duper obvious product placement) but Sean Penn delivers a good performance and Dakota Fanning was sweet too.
  • kraaziblonde21
    October 22, 2009
    kraaziblonde21
    such a gud movie. but kinda sad
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