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I Am Sam (2001)

 -  Drama  -  25 January 2002 (USA)
7.4
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Ratings: 7.4/10 from 84,068 users   Metascore: 28/100
Reviews: 418 user | 127 critic | 33 from Metacritic.com

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.

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Title: I Am Sam (2001)

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Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 9 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Brad Silverman ...
Brad (as Brad Allan Silverman)
Joseph Rosenberg ...
Joe
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Lily
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Judge Philip McNeily
Wendy Phillips ...
Miss Wright
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Conner Rhodes
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Storyline

Sam Dawson has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old. He works at a Starbucks and is obsessed with the Beatles. He has a daughter with a homeless woman; she abandons them as soon as they leave the hospital. He names his daughter Lucy Diamond (after the Beatles song), and raises her. But as she reaches age 7 herself, Sam's limitations start to become a problem at school; she's intentionally holding back to avoid looking smarter than him. The authorities take her away, and Sam shames high-priced lawyer Rita Harrison into taking his case pro bono. In the process, he teaches her a great deal about love, and whether it's really all you need. Written by Jon Reeves <jreeves@imdb.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

love | lawyer | the beatles | custody | school | See more »

Taglines:

love is all you need

Genres:

Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

25 January 2002 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Yo soy Sam  »

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£151,079 (UK) (10 May 2002)

Gross:

£456,635 (UK) (24 May 2002)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

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Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

As preparation for his role, Sean Penn visited L.A. Goal, a center in Los Angeles for Mentally Handicapped persons. See more »

Goofs

When Sam and Lucy are being observed and they are talking, just before Lucy talks to the people observing her she turns her head towards the "camera". The next shot, she turns her head again before talking. See more »

Quotes

[Sam buys a "preowned" answering machine]
Ifty: Yeah. It's an outgoing message so I think you need to sound a little more outgoing.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Tropic Thunder (2008) See more »

Soundtracks

"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"
Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Performed by The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes appear courtesy of V2 Records
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Very well done, especially Penn and Fanning
4 August 2005 | by (North Carolina) – See all my reviews

In 'Rain Man', Dustin Hoffman gave the best portrayal I have ever seen of a mentally disturbed person, but Sean Penn came very close here. He was quite convincing but somewhat funnier. With Hoffman, I never quite knew when he was supposed to be funny, but with Penn there were many funny moments that I felt okay about laughing at. And I just had to like the character.

I've heard so many good things about Dakota Fanning, and now I see for myself. She's great.

The actors playing Sam's friends also seemed very convincing, one in particular. I didn't catch his name, but he wore glasses and I think he must have really been mentally disabled. The others could have been but might just have been acting.

MIchelle Pfeiffer was very good also, and gorgeous. And Richard Schiff was likable as the lawyer on the other side of Sam's case. In fact, I didn't see those who were against Sam as evil. They just had Lucy's best interests in mind. But I wanted Sam to win.

While it is true this may have been done before, I think this movie offered unique twists and qualities other movies didn't have, and the performances were very good.


42 of 56 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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