I Am Sam (2001)

Actor Sean Penn displays another facet of his versatility as the title character of this inspirational tearjerker--a mentally handicapped father fighting for custody of his young daughter (Dakota Fanning). The child welfare board of his native Santa Monica has taken her from him, worried that at eight years old she has already begun to pass him in intellectual development. Sam's argument is that it's not brains but love that counts, and his case is taken by a stressed-out hot shot lawyer named Rita (Michelle Pfeiffer) who has her own problems dealing with her rebellious son. Anchored by his infectious love of the...
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Beatles, the ceaselessly enthusiastic Sam becomes a positive influence on Rita as he raises a lot of questions about what's most important as a parent. Though it's Penn's show, Pfeiffer is so good she practically steals the film from him, and the startlingly precocious Fanning is not far behind. A warm soundtrack of Beatles covers and clever, fast-cut editing help the message of love and forgiveness shine through.
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Sean Penn stars in this drama as Sam Dawson, a developmentally disabled adult who has been working at a coffee shop and raising his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning) for seven years. Sam receives help in his parenting duties from a circle of trusted confidantes, including his ADD-afflicted best friend Ifty (Doug Hutchison), the paranoid Robert (Stanley DeSantis), an agoraphobic neighbor (Dianne Wiest), and his other disabled pals, Brad and Joe (played by real-life developmentally challenged actors Brad Silverman and Joseph Rosenberg). Although he provides a structured and loving environment for Lucy that includes re...
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gular visits to IHOP, video nights, and karaoke, Sam's daughter is beginning to surpass him in mental acuity. When Lucy begins intentionally stunting her own growth so as not to hurt her beloved father, social worker Margaret (Loretta Devine) takes action, removing the girl from her home and placing her in the temporary care of a foster mother, Randy (Laura Dern). As the day of his hearing looms, Sam seeks out the aid of driven, obsessive lawyer Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer), who takes the case only to prove to her colleagues that she is willing to accept pro bono work. Opposed by county lawyer Turner (Richard Schiff) in court, Rita gradually comes to care for her client and his daughter, even as they force her to consider the limitations of her own abilities as a parent. The soundtrack for I Am Sam (2001) gained considerable critical attention, consisting entirely of Beatles cover songs by such contemporary artists as The Black Crowes, Eddie Vedder, the Wallflowers, and Aimee Mann, among others.
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Sam Dawson is een verstandelijk gehandicapte met de mentale leeftijd van een 7-jarige. Hij werkt bij StarBucks en heeft een obsessie voor The Beatles. Hij heeft een dochtertje bij een vrouw, die er vanaf de geboorte vandoor is gegaan. Sam staat dus alleen in voor de opvoeding van de kleine Lucy Diamond, genoemd naar de Beatles-hit. Aanvankelijk verloopt alles vlotjes, maar naarmate Lucy groter wordt, beginnen de problemen. De sociale dienst begint zich er mee te bemoeien en besluit Lucy in een opvanggezin te plaatsen. Voor Sam het begin van een lang proces om het hoederecht over zijn eigen dochter.

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