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I Am Sam (2001)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
25 January 2002 (USA)
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Tagline:
love is all you need
Plot:
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. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar.
Another 8 wins
&
9 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(51 articles)
Exclusive Interview: Dakota Fanning (The Twilight Saga: New Moon)
(From ScreenStar. 19 November 2009, 10:55 PM, PST)
PGA Honors Precious.
(From FilmExperience. 18 November 2009, 3:18 PM, PST)
(From ScreenStar. 19 November 2009, 10:55 PM, PST)
PGA Honors Precious.
(From FilmExperience. 18 November 2009, 3:18 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Effective Performance By Sean Penn
more (395 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Sean Penn | ... | Sam Dawson |
 | Michelle Pfeiffer | ... | Rita Harrison Williams |
 | Dakota Fanning | ... | Lucy Diamond Dawson |
 | Dianne Wiest | ... | Annie Cassell |
 | Loretta Devine | ... | Margaret Calgrove |
 | Richard Schiff | ... | Mr. Turner |
 | Laura Dern | ... | Randy Carpenter |
 | Brad Silverman | ... | Brad (as Brad Allan Silverman) |
| Joseph Rosenberg | ... | Joe |
 | Stanley DeSantis | ... | Robert |
 | Doug Hutchison | ... | Ifty |
| Rosalind Chao | ... | Lily |
| Ken Jenkins | ... | Judge Philip McNeily |
 | Wendy Phillips | ... | Miss Wright |
| Mason Lucero | ... | Conner Rhodes |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for language.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
132 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:L |
Malaysia:U |
USA:PG-13 (certificate #38443) |
New Zealand:M |
Norway:11 (DVD rating) |
Portugal:M/12 |
Argentina:13 |
Australia:M |
Brazil:Livre |
Finland:S |
France:U |
Germany:6 |
Hong Kong:IIA |
Netherlands:AL |
Peru:14 |
Philippines:G |
Singapore:PG |
South Korea:12 |
Spain:7 |
Sweden:7 |
Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) |
Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) |
Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) |
UK:12
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
There was originally to be a line where Brad (Brad Silverman) asks Rita (Michelle Pfeiffer) "Are you wearing a Wonder Bra, because you look wonderful today...". Silverman thought the line was offensive to David E. Kelley (Pfeiffer's husband) and refused to say it.
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Goofs:
Continuity: 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.
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Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The 76th Annual Academy Awards (2004) (TV)
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Soundtrack:
I'm Looking through You
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FAQ
I am confused by the ending. Who wins custody of Lucy?more
more (395 total)
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I have to confess off the top that I am not and never have been a particular fan of Sean Penn. I have no specific criticism to make of him; as an actor he simply doesn't appeal to me. Because of that bias I approached this movie with low expectations. The story of a mentally handicapped man fighting for custody of his seven year old daughter sounded intriguing, but it starred Penn. But what a pleasant surprise this movie turned out to be!
Penn is actually very good in this role. He brings a realism to the character of Sam Dawson, and portrays him sensitively and with real emotion. In fact, I thought the only performance that was better than Penn's came not from Michelle Pfeiffer (who disappointed me a bit, actually) but rather from little Dakota Fanning as Sam's daughter Lucy. She seemed so natural in this role, and I would hope that we see more of her in the years to come. Pfeiffer, on the other hand, (as Sam's lawyer Rita Harrison) just didn't carry the role off that well, and even the courtroom scenes to me lacked the tension one would have expected from such an emotionally-laden issue.
The movie weakens in the last little bit, going for the sappy (and highly unrealistic) ending - unrealistic particularly in the way Lucy's foster mother (Laura Dern) ends up handling the situation.
Having said that, I still enjoyed this movie very much. It's raised my assessment of Sean Penn's acting abilities and I would recommend it to others and would watch it again.
7/10