I Am Sam

December. 28,2001      PG-13
Rating:
7.6
Trailer Synopsis Cast

Sam, a neurodivergent man, has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them when they leave the hospital, leaving Sam to raise Lucy on his own. But as Lucy grows up, Sam's limitations as a parent start to become a problem and the authorities take her away. Sam convinces high-priced lawyer Rita to take his case pro bono and in turn teaches her the value of love and family.

Sean Penn as  Sam Dawson
Michelle Pfeiffer as  Rita Harrison Williams
Dianne Wiest as  Annie Cassell
Dakota Fanning as  Lucy Diamond Dawson
Richard Schiff as  Mr. Turner
Loretta Devine as  Margaret Calgrove
Marin Hinkle as  Patricia
Laura Dern as  Randy Carpenter
Stanley DeSantis as  Robert
Doug Hutchison as  Ifty

Similar titles

Suburbia
Prime Video
Suburbia
When household tensions and a sense of worthlessness overcome Evan, he finds escape when he clings with the orphans of a throw-away society. The runaways hold on to each other like a family until a tragedy tears them apart.
Suburbia 1984
Holy Lands
Prime Video
Holy Lands
When lapsed Jew and former cardiologist Harry suddenly decides to spend his retirement as a pig farmer in Nazareth, Israel, the move deeply shocks his family and his new neighbours. Back in New York, Harry’s ex-wife Monica is trying to manage the lives of their adult children, Annabelle and David, as well as her own.
Holy Lands 2019
Silver City
Silver City
After World War II, 4,000 Polish families came to Australia. They were Jews, Fascists, anti-Communists, and others dispossessed. In a large hostel, where even married men and women were housed in separate barracks, the adults lived for two years while they worked off the government's payment of their passage. Even though he is married to Anna and has a son, Julian falls in love with Nina and she with him. As they and others face the new situations and prejudices that await immigrants and as they take on aspects of Australian culture, old-country values reassert themselves. Julian decides what to do about love and family, and Nina must find a way to move on.
Silver City 1984
Sleepless in Seattle
Prime Video
Sleepless in Seattle
When Sam Baldwin's wife dies, he is left to bring up his eight-year-old son Jonah alone, and decides to move to Seattle to make a new start. On Christmas Eve, Jonah rings a radio phone-in with his Christmas wish to find a new wife for his dad. Meanwhile in Baltimore, journalist Annie Reed, who is having doubts about her own relationship, is listening in.
Sleepless in Seattle 1993
Human Nature
Human Nature
A philosophical burlesque, Human Nature follows the ups and downs of an obsessive scientist, a female naturalist, and the man they discover, born and raised in the wild. As scientist Nathan trains the wild man, Puff, in the ways of the world - starting with table manners - Nathan's lover Lila fights to preserve the man's simian past, which represents a freedom enviable to most.
Human Nature 2002
Bend It Like Beckham
Prime Video
Bend It Like Beckham
Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.
Bend It Like Beckham 2003
The Green Mile
Max
The Green Mile
A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.
The Green Mile 1999
Monster
Prime Video
Monster
An emotionally scarred highway drifter shoots a sadistic trick who rapes her, and ultimately becomes America's first female serial killer.
Monster 2003
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Max
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
A petty criminal fakes insanity to serve his sentence in a mental ward rather than prison. He soon finds himself as a leader to the other patients—and an enemy to the cruel, domineering nurse who runs the ward.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1975

You May Also Like

My Sister's Keeper
Max
My Sister's Keeper
Sara and Brian live an idyllic life with their young son and daughter. But their family is rocked by sudden, heartbreaking news that forces them to make a difficult and unorthodox choice in order to save their baby girl's life. The parents' desperate decision raises both ethical and moral questions and rips away at the foundation of their relationship. Their actions ultimately set off a court case that threatens to tear the family apart, while revealing surprising truths that challenge everyone's perceptions of love and loyalty and give new meaning to the definition of healing.
My Sister's Keeper 2009
Mystic River
Max
Mystic River
The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them suffers a family tragedy.
Mystic River 2003
Gran Torino
Max
Gran Torino
Disgruntled Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski sets out to reform his neighbor, Thao Lor, a Hmong teenager who tried to steal Kowalski's prized possession: a 1972 Gran Torino.
Gran Torino 2008
Forrest Gump
Prime Video
Forrest Gump
A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.
Forrest Gump 2014
I Am Legend
Max
I Am Legend
Robert Neville is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and man-made. Immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and perhaps the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone.
I Am Legend 2007
Man on Fire
Max
Man on Fire
Jaded ex-CIA operative John Creasy reluctantly accepts a job as the bodyguard for a 10-year-old girl in Mexico City. They clash at first, but eventually bond, and when she's kidnapped he's consumed by fury and will stop at nothing to save her life.
Man on Fire 2004
Wonder
Wonder
The story of August Pullman – a boy with facial differences – who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.
Wonder 2017
Zodiac
Prime Video
Zodiac
A cartoonist teams up with an ace reporter and a law enforcement officer to track down an elusive serial killer.
Zodiac 2007
Billy Elliot
Max
Billy Elliot
County Durham, England, 1984. The miners' strike has started and the police have started coming up from Bethnal Green, starting a class war with the lower classes suffering. Caught in the middle of the conflict is 11-year old Billy Elliot, who, after leaving his boxing club for the day, stumbles upon a ballet class and finds out that he's naturally talented. He practices with his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson for an upcoming audition in Newcastle-upon Tyne for the royal Ballet school in London.
Billy Elliot 2000
WALL·E
Disney+
WALL·E
What if mankind had to leave Earth and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off? After hundreds of years doing what he was built for, WALL•E discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL•E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report to the humans. Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most imaginative adventures ever brought to the big screen.
WALL·E 2008

Reviews

AniInterview
2001/12/28

Sorry, this movie sucks

... more
Fluentiama
2001/12/29

Perfect cast and a good story

... more
Stevecorp
2001/12/30

Don't listen to the negative reviews

... more
Marva
2001/12/31

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

... more
Jackson Booth-Millard
2002/01/01

I knew this film was about a man with severe learning difficulties who has a daughter, and I know the leading actor and actress, but I did not realise it got mixed to negative reviews, it was a bit surprising, but I had to see what I thought of it for myself. Basically in Los Angeles, Sam Dawson (Oscar nominated Sean Penn) is a man with autism, a developmental disability, following the abandonment by her mother, a homeless woman who "just needed a place to sleep", he becomes single father to his daughter, Lucy (Dakota Fanning). Despite his limitations, Sam is well-adjusted, with a job working at Starbucks, a supportive group of friends with developmental disabilities, and kind, agoraphobic neighbour Annie (Dianne Wiest) who takes care of Lucy when he cannot. Though Sam provides precocious Lucy with a loving and caring environment, she surpasses his mental ability, he has a mental age of 7, other children tease Lucy having a "retard" as a father, and she is too embarrassed to accept that she is more intellectually advanced than Sam. After Sam's parenting skills come into question and the authorities threaten to take Lucy away from him, Sam is advised by his friends to approach high-powered lawyer Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer). Rita has a reputation as being cold and unfeeling, due to a brusque manner, fast-paced schedule and difficult personal life, to prove to others that she is not heartless, Rita surprisingly agrees to take on Sam's case pro bono. As they work together to secure Sam's parental rights, Sam unwittingly helps Rita with her family problems, including encouraging her to leave her cheating husband and repairing her fractured relationship with her son. Sam and Rita share an emotional moment, both feeling that they have never felt good enough to solve their situations, they sob and hug each other. At the trial, Rita does everything she can to prove that Sam could be a good father to Lucy, but Sam breaks down following the counsel opposition that he is not capable of all responsibilities of being a father. After the trial, Lucy is put in foster care, residing in a home with Randy Carpenter (Laura Dern), who does everything she can to prove herself as her new "parent", while Sam is promoted and finds a new apartment in the neighbourhood. Lucy continually escapes from her room in the middle of the night to go to Sam's apartment, she tries to convince him that they should run away, but he returns her to the foster home each time. Randy realises she cannot give Lucy the same love that she has for Sam, the foster family decide ultimately not to go ahead with adopting Lucy, she will return her to Sam, Randy will tell the judge that Sam is a suitable and better parent for Lucy, they also make an arrangement that Randy will help raise her. The final scene takes place at a soccer game, Sam is refereeing and Lucy is playing, Randy and the foster family, Sam's friends and newly single Rita and her son are watching. Also starring Loretta Devine as Margaret Calgrove, Richard Schiff as Mr. Turner, Brad Allan Silverman as Brad, Mary Steenburgen as Dr. Blake, Joseph Rosenberg as Joe, Stanley DeSantis as Robert, The Green Mile's Doug Hutchison as Ifty and Ken Jenkins as Judge Philip McNeily. Penn is just about passable about the disabled man with a passion for Beatles music, but it is obvious this performance is for vanity, Pfeiffer is a little stereotypical as the lawyer who learns life lessons through helping her innocent client, and Fanning making her big screen debut is alright. You could argue this portrait of mental illness is offensive, inaccurate and even unhelpful, the script is overly sentimental, it is only mildly funny in moments, maybe for the wrong reasons, and it is perhaps a little too long, you could just shun it is Kramer vs. Kramer meets Forrest Gump, or Rain Man, but I went with it, a sort of uncomfortable but not completely awful comedy drama. Adequate!

... more
jadearce
2002/01/02

I watched this movie as a child and already at 8 years old, I fell in love with it. Rewatching it at 18 impacted me even more. The acting is amazing. The story line is amazing. The way Sam makes changes everyone throughout the movie by simply being their friend is amazing. This film continues to warm my heart and make me cry. This is one I will show my kids.

... more
krocheav
2002/01/03

After waiting several years to see this film--all the while hoping for a thoughtful handling of its tough subject-- I was left wondering what went wrong. I have great empathy for films about challenged people coming to terms with their situations but, when a writer and director play fully on the viewers emotionalism it reduces the work to mere manipulation. If you want to see what it looks like when done better try finding "Charly" '68 ~ where Cliff Robertson deservedly won the academy award for his fine interpretation - along with a script offering more depth. While Sean Penn can be OK, he can often be painful - here, he is OK but the material is simply unbelievable.It's also hard to believe that Cinematographer Elliot Davis allowed his name to be left on the credits. There are sections where the sloppy, single hand held camera shots rival some of the worst to be seen in a 'mainstream' movie - the jerky movements and annoyingly bad use of the zoom lens made me feel so nauseous that watching to the end became a complete struggle. Judging from the blatant product placement throughout - it looks like the producers may have ended up with a comparatively small financial outlay. What could and should have been a warm, intelligent character study has been given a somewhat sentimentalized, if not patronizing, how-not-to- do-it Hollywood treatment - while also perhaps lacking a degree of genuine integrity. The end result looks like a let's try playing it to the hilt and see if any awards might just get handed out. And predictably some were - but not quite what was hoped for.Michelle Pfeiffer at times looks a little embarrassed with her lines as well as certain situations in her role as a successful high priced lawyer and, can we truly believe this woman doesn't have anyone knocking on her door? - perhaps this situation might have played more convincingly if the always reliable Laura Dern role was reversed. While young Dakota Fanning is marvelous her lines are far too mature for her cute six year old. Considering what it might have been with better handling this generally comes over as a bit of a contrivance. Those looking for a feel good show who don't necessarily want to think too much about their movies will enjoy it - others could possibly be more than a little disappointed. We've sure seen worse but this should have been better. Please don't play it again Sam...

... more
g-bodyl
2002/01/04

I Am Sam is a very inspiring tale and an emotional movie that can be hard to watch at times due to the subject matter. Along with such films like What's Eating Gilbert Grape, this film tackles a very tough subject in mental illness and it creates a theme about how anyone can love, even if the person has a mental capacity of a seven-year-old. Sean Penn is at his best here as he delivers another fine performance, even if his performance is questionably full-fledged. This film is about a man named Sam who has the mental capacity of a seven-ear-old, works at Starbucks, and is obsessed with the Beatles. One day, a homeless woman gives birth to a girl with Sam as the father. The state fears that he is incompetent as a father and take his daughter away from him. Now Sam enlists the help of a hotshot lawyer named Rita to help him win the case. As said before, Sean Penn delivers a magnificent performance. People have questioned his performance, but the purpose of acting is to become a different character and that is exactly what Sean Penn did. Michelle Pfieffer delivers a strong performance as the lawyer, Rita who learns the lessons of love along the way. Dakota Fanning musters a strong, natural performance as Sam's daughter. Finally, Laura Dern does a good job as the foster mother. Overall, I Am Sam is the kind of film that teaches people to love all over again. If you have any children, remember to say how much you love them. This is a drama that could take place in reality, thus giving the movie even more of an emotional bite. A very good, powerful movie thanks to Sean Penn's effective performance. My Grade: A

... more