Sam Dawson (Sean Penn) is a mentally challenged man with the intelligence of a seven-year-old. But he also has fathered a little girl. And when the ne’er-do-well mother runs away, it’s up to Sam to raise the child on his own.
When his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning) turns eight – and is going to school – government authorities and social workers want to take her away from her father.
That’s the premise of I Am Sam, a heartfelt drama that showcases a stunning performance by Sean Penn.
Sam gets along fine as a clerk at a Starbucks coffee shop and is happy as long as his routine isn’t disrupted.
There’s breakfast at IHOP on Wednesday, video nights with his disabled buddies on Thursdays and karaoke on Fridays.
His life is as well-ordered as the sugar packets and salt-and-pepper shakers he lines up on tables at Starbucks. And as long as Lucy remains a fresh-faced preschooler, all is fine.
But when she starts to mature – and goes to school – Sam’s life gets complicated.
Lucy is very bright, but reluctant to do well in school. She loves her dad too much to demonstrate an intelligence that surpasses his. She also hears derogatory remarks from friends and classmates about her father.
Teachers and social workers begin to note problems, and it looks like Sam will lose Lucy to a foster family.
But Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer) enters the picture. She’s a work-obsessed fast-track lawyer.
Although she wouldn’t normally be caught dead with a disadvantaged pro bono client, she is finally publicly embarrassed into taking Sam’s case.
Rita also has parenting problems: her obsessive work habits have distanced her from her own child. She’s just one of many people who could use parenting lessons from Sam.
I Am Sam benefits from strong performances at all levels. Pfeiffer manages to be both irritating and strangely sympathetic as the success-obsessed lawyer and eventually makes you aware of the pain in her life.
Youngster Dakota Fanning makes the precocious Lucy believable and lovable. Playing a child who’s smarter than her parent must have been a unique challenge – but Fanning more than meets it.
Diane Wiest, Mary Steenburgen, and Laura Dern contribute memorable moments in small-but-important roles, while Sam’s best buddies are well played by Doug Hutchison, Stanley DeSantis, Brad Allan Silverman, and Joseph Rosenberg. The latter two are mentally disabled in real life.
Director and co-writer Jessie Nelson energises her film with up-close camera work and an ultra-bright sun-drenched colour scheme.
The film gets a boost from a soundtrack of Beatles songs, lovingly remade by various contemporary artists, including Rufus Wainwright, Ben Folds, Sheryl Crow, Aimee Mann, Michael Penn (Sean’s brother) and the Black Crowes.
Sam, you see, loves The Beatles (it’s why his daughter is called Lucy Diamond), and when it’s suggested that he doesn’t have what it takes to be a good father, he reminds us that no one thought George Harrison was much of a songwriter. “But then he wrote Here Comes the Sun – the best song on Abbey Road.”
Take Kleenex.
Sam Dawson
Sean Penn Rita Harrison
Michelle Pfeiffer Lucy Dawson
Dakota Fanning Annie
Dianne Wiest Margaret Calgrove
Loretta Devine Turner
Richard Schiff Randy Carpenter
Laura Dern Brad
Brad Silverman Joe
Joseph Rosenberg Robert
Stanley DeSantis Ifty
Doug Hutchison Lily
Rosalind Chao Judge McNeily
Ken Jenkins Miss Wright
Wendy Phillips Conner Rhodes
Mason Lucero Duncan Rhodes
Scott Paulin George
Bobby Cooper Ms. Davis
Kit McDonough Gertie
Kimberly Scott Dr Jaslow
Michael B. Silver Rebecca
Caroline Keenan Estelle
Eileen Ryan Dr Blake
Mary Steenburgen Patricia
Marin Hinkle Willy
Chase MacKenzie Bebak Bruce
Rafer Weigel Grace
Pamela Dunlap Rita’s Colleague
Karen Bankhead Cristina
Katie McGloin Collin
Steven Maines Bill Carpenter
Will Wallace Scarecrow
Scott Weintraub Brian
Brian Bialick Callie
Molly Gordon Sara
Nora Kroopf Lucy – Infant
Allison Thormahlen
Jillian Thormahlen Lucy – 6 Months
Ryan Williams Lucy – 18 Months
Felicity Ann Forbes
Makindra Sherry Forbes Lucy – 2 Years
Elle Fanning Lucy – 4 Years
Amanda Lehaf
Director
Jessie Nelson
Video
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Sam gets along fine as a clerk at a Starbucks coffee shop and is happy as long as his routine isn’t disrupted.
Teachers and social workers begin to note problems, and it looks like Sam will lose Lucy to a foster family.
The film gets a boost from a soundtrack of Beatles songs, lovingly remade by various contemporary artists, including Rufus Wainwright, Ben Folds, Sheryl Crow, Aimee Mann, Michael Penn (Sean’s brother) and the Black Crowes.
