They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating. Not only does the manipulative I Am Sam oversimplify a complex issue, it drowns it in treacle. That's little Lucy Dawson, asking her father why he isn't quite like other people. You can help us help kids by Families can talk about what Sam should do to give Lucy everything she needs. I Am Sam (2001) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Jessie Nelson Writing Credits ( WGA) Cast (in credits order) complete, awaiting verification Produced by Music by John Powell Cinematography by Elliot Davis . She became the youngest actress to be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award. Sam's difficulties become problematic, and his daughter is taken away. Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama. He has a daughter with a homeless woman; she. This movie has flaws, but this movie touched me. Just below that it reads "Ticket Confirmation#:" followed by a 10-digit number. Since the movie does not believe this, it has a serious disagreement with most of the audience. In smaller parts, Wiest, Richard Schiff, Mary Steenburgen, and Laura Dern all are very fine as well, and the soundtrack of Beatles songs recorded by some of today's best artists is a genuine treat. But the strong sentimentalism, don't save the film. Special Achievement Award. The ending of "I AmSam"highlights this by showing a soccer game where Lucy is playing and Sam is refereeing. This movie does not use too much swearing just a couple of F words. I Am Sam (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2001 American drama film co-written and directed by Jessie Nelson, and starring Sean Penn as a father with an intellectual disability, Dakota Fanning as his bright and inquisitive daughter, and Michelle Pfeiffer as his lawyer. The parents' guide to what's in this movie. I think that this is a great movie. Sam is well-adjusted and has a supportive group of friends with disabilities, as well as a kind, agoraphobic neighbor, Annie, who takes care of Lucy when Sam cannot. Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. But as Lucy grows up, Sam's limitations as a parent start to become a problem and the authorities take her away. After a mentally challenged father is separated from his young daughter, he enlists a brilliant attorney to help him win back custody. A mentally challenged man seeks custody of his daughter when the state tries to place her in a foster home. "[12] David Denby of The New Yorker, found Michelle Pfeiffer to be the standout: "Pfeiffer, enormously likable in the role, almost saves the movie."[13]. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Fancy watching 'I Am Sam' in the comfort of your own home? I Am Sam (stylized i am sam) is a 2001 American drama film co-written and directed by Jessie Nelson, and starring Sean Penn as a father with an intellectual disability, Dakota Fanning as his bright and inquisitive daughter, and Michelle Pfeiffer as his lawyer. Sam also gets some help from an entourage of friends, and all goes along pretty well until Lucy, at age 7, begins to surpass Sam intellectually. He smiles back. Credits list "starbucks barrister" instead of "barista". "I Am Sam" tells the story of Sam Dawson ( Sean Penn ), a man with unspecified developmental disabilities who unexpectedly becomes the father of a baby girl, Lucy Diamond (Dakota Fanning). If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website. Synopsis. Then a cop pounces and arrests him for frequenting a prostitute. As the movie makes abundantly clear, the cards are massively stacked against someone like Sam in a situation like this, so a happy ending like this might come across as a bitHollywood-y. The would-be adoptive mother, played by Laura Dern, further complicates the issue by not being a cruel child-beater who wants the monthly state payments, but a loving, sensitive mother who would probably be great for Lucy. A female character swears occasionally: one use of "f--k," along with numerous instances of "goddammit," "hell," and other mild epithets. Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. "[8] Variety wrote: "Undone by its best intentions, I Am Sam is an especially insipid example of the Hollywood message movie". He was a god damn war hero, do you know any retarded war hero's? In danger of losing child custody, Sam gets advice from his friends and also hires a lawyer, Rita Harrison, whose absorption in her work and neglect of her son reveals her to also struggle with her role as a parent. He has a daughter whose homeless mother has abandoned them both. Talking about it or warning your children that there are others who are different does not exactly prepare them. The message of "I am Sam" is more than your typical get-out-the-handkerchief movie. ", "Col. Frank Slade has a very special plan for the weekend! I Am Sam. I find it unrealistic that a reviewer said too much bad words for their 11 and 15-year-old. Sam more or less understands this, but does the adoptive mother? Can Sam adequately care for Lucy? This is what the world needs right now. This is where the movie fails. Sam also gets some help from an entourage of friends, and all goes along pretty well until Lucy, at age 7, begins to surpass Sam intellectually. Sam (Penn, in an Oscar-nominated role), a neurodivergent man, has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them when they leave the hospital, leaving Sam to raise Lucy (Fanning) on his own. Autistic, sho'. Common Sense Media. Nominee. Drama about autistic savant has profanity, mature themes. 2 hr 12 min. I Am Sam. "I Am Sam" stars Sean Penn as Lucy's dad, Sam, who has the IQ of a 7-year-old but is trying to raise the daughter he fathered with a homeless woman. Golden Satellite Award. Back at the station, the cop admits, "This is the first time in 19 years I actually believe a guy who says he didn't know she was a hooker." Starring Sean Penn Michell Pfeiffer Dianne West Dakota Fanning Richard Schiff Doug Hutchison Loretta Devine Laura Dern Stanley DeSantis Brad Silverman. Its a 2001 movie but right now its 2019 about to 2020 in a couple of weeks. Dianne Wiest, Loretta Devine, Richard Schiff, and Laura Dern appear in supporting roles. Eventually Lucy decides to stop learning so she won't get ahead of her dad. Feel free to send us your trailer requests and we will do our best to hunt it down. Stay up-to-date on all the latest Rotten Tomatoes news! Michelle Pfeiffer and Sean Penn do such a good job with their acting, that the audience will completely forget how unrealistic and far fetched the premise is. Sam convinces high-priced lawyer Rita (Pfeiffer) to take his case pro bono and in turn teaches her the value of love and family. Depending on the type of parent you are and what kind of children you are trying to raise, this movie does a great job NOT sugarcoating what its really like. I Am Sam presents great actings of the cast and bring a cute, confused and nice story. By creating an account, you agree to the "[5] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 28 of 100 based on 33 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Braces on his legs. Sean Penn. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your email. Fast forward a few years, and Lucy is in her teens, which Sam and his tight-knit social circles most of whom have some form of developmental disability or mental health issue are likely unprepared to deal with. Sam's displays of resourcefulness win the day, and when he convinces Lucy's would-be foster mother Randy (Laura Dern)that he's up to the task of parenting and asks her to help with Lucy's upbringing Randy decides to side with Sam, which ultimately convinces the court. Drama Movies That Tug at the Heartstrings. This 10-digit number is your confirmation number. With help from his group of friends and acquaintances, Sam does his best to be a father for Lucy, but she eventually starts surpassing his mental abilities, which she tries to hide in fear of outgrowing her father. Seriously? At one point he turns scornfully to the Pfeiffer character and says, "This is an anecdote for you at some luncheon, but I'm here every day, You're out the door, but you know who I see come back? Dakota Fanning won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Young Performer, the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Youth in Film, the Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Youth Actress, the Satellite Special Achievement Award for Outstanding New Talent, and the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film Young Actress Age Ten or Under. Coming Soon, Regal At its worst, it actually causes us to alienate his character and hope that he doesn't end up with the kid after all. The kind of performance Penn delivers in "I Am Sam," which may look hard, is easy, compared, say, to his amazing work in Woody Allen's "Sweet and Lowdown." That ain't retarded. Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter I Am Sam 2001 132 minutes 4.7 star 407 reviews 36% Tomatometer PG-13 Rating family_home Eligible info $9.99 Buy HD $2.99 Rent HD info Watch in a web browser or on supported devices Learn More. Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. But Penn gives a first-rate performance, and Pfeiffer holds her own. Powerful Stories About Martin Luther King Jr. PG-13 2 hr 12 min Jan 25th, 2002 Drama. Cinemark Still, when you remember that Harvard Law School and Shriver have deemed the movie's points worth discussion, is wrapping all these talking points up with a happy ending really a bad thing? Sam Dawson (Sean Penn), a mentally challenged man with a mind of a child, is living in Los Angeles and is single-handedly raising his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning), whom he fathered from a homeless woman who wanted nothing to do with Lucy and left him the day of her birth. 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