I Am Sam Review

Ask any parent, you will get the same answer every time: losing your children is the deepest fear they could have.

Sean Penn (Milk, Dead Man Walking) and Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds, Man on Fire) show us the darker side to parenting in I Am Sam, written and directed by Jessie Nelson.

Sam Dawson (Penn) plays a Beatles-obsessed, mentally handicapped Starbucks employee who, after having a daughter (Fanning) with a homeless woman that abandons them immediately after the birth, is thrust into the world of parenting with nothing more than an apartment and some close friends. Despite the dark, grave tone to this film, Penn pulls it off wonderfully.

After a legal run-in with child services, Sam has no clue how to deal with everything that has happened. All he knows is: he loves his daughter, Lucy, and wants what’s best for her. Enter the flustered, foul-mouthed lawyer Rita, played perfectly by Michelle Pfeifer (Dangerous Liaisons, The Fabulous Baker Boys). As a fellow parent, Rita finds it in her borderline closed-off heart to help Sam, despite lack of payment.

While the movie did very well at the Box Office, the critics’ ratings were rather diverse. Charles Taylor of Salon.com gave the movie an F, saying it was “hideously manipulative.” Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times gave it an A-, saying it was “warm, hard to resist.”

RottenTomatoes.com gave the movie an uncommonly low 34 out of 100%, because “Not only does the manipulative I Am Sam oversimplify a complex issue, it drowns it in treacle.”

I Am Sam may be a dark movie overall, but the acting is phenomenal. Sean Penn plays Sam with perfection, connecting with the audience in every way possible. Dakota Fanning’s adorable performance turned her into an instant A-list celebrity, not only for her cuteness, but also being one of the most promising young actresses in Hollywood.

Loaded with its fair share of trials, tribulations, and hardships for Sam, I Am Sam delivers in a unique way. Throughout the film, emotions juggle up and down in heart-wrenching ways. At times you may laugh, and at times, you may cry. Through it all, I Am Sam will definitely touch your emotions in a deep way.