I Am Sam

2001

Action / Drama

109
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 86% · 144 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 86% · 250K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.6/10 10 161316 161.3K

mentally handicapped man mentally disabled foster parents lawyer pro bono social services

Plot summary

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.

Director

Jessie Nelson Photo
Jessie Nelson

Top cast

Elle Fanning Photo
Elle Fanning as Lucy 2 Years
Dakota Fanning Photo
Dakota Fanning as Lucy Diamond Dawson
Molly Gordon Photo
Molly Gordon as Callie
Julie Claire Photo
Julie Claire as Starbucks Customer
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
900.74 MB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
2 hr 12 min
Seeds 22
1.90 GB
1920*1080
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
2 hr 12 min
Seeds 62

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by mdm-11 8 / 10

Mentally challenged single dad fights to care for daughter

Reviewed by Jerique 9 / 10

Heart Warming Tale About a Loving Father

In an eye opening performance, Sean Penn plays mentally challenged Sam. It was the 2001 Academy Awards when I began to doubt the Oscars because Sean Penn was robbed of the Best Actor category. I really believed at the time, that Sean Penn was mentally challenged. He was way more deserving of the award than Denzel.This is one film that can tug your heart strings and have your eyes flooded with tears. It's powered by the performances of Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer and Dakota Fanning. Dakota has an innate ability to use her big beautiful eyes to induce crying. Michelle can steal a moment from Sean in any scene with her beautifully delivered words.The story of fighting for custody of his daughter is one for all ages and it's a tragic story to be told but can captivate any audience and especially all mothers and fathers out there. When you finish watching, you'll have red eyes from wiping away those tears. You'll also be in a mood to start watching more movies containing Sean Penn.If you've never seen a Sean Penn film before this, you'll believe that he is truly handicapped. Sean Penn's commitment to this role is accounted for six months of research on mentally challenged people. I'm not knocking Denzel Washington as an actor, as he's supremely talented. But Sean Penn has an uncanny ability to make you believe he is not playing a character of Sam, but is the character of Sam.The character of Sam, is not inspiring because he is handicapped. It's due to how loving he is and how much fighting he does to get his daughter back and make her happy that makes Sam inspiring. Kids can watch this movie, and parents will enjoy it most of all. It's not a movie that should be missed by anyone. There's no reason to dislike, I Am Sam.
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