I Am Sam


I Am Sam is a 2001 American drama film written and directed by Jessie Nelson, and starring Sean Penn as a father with an intellectual disability, Dakota Fanning as his bright and inquisitive daughter, and Michelle Pfeiffer as his lawyer. Dianne Wiest, Loretta Devine, Richard Schiff, and Laura Dern appear in supporting roles.
Jessie Nelson and Kristine Johnson, who co-wrote the screenplay, researched the issues facing adults with intellectual disabilities by visiting the non-profit organization L.A. GOAL. They subsequently cast two actors with disabilities, Brad Silverman and Joe Rosenberg, in key roles. The film's title is derived from the opening lines "I am Sam / Sam I am" of the book Green Eggs and Ham, which is read in the movie.
The film received negative reviews from critics but grossed over $97 million at the box office. For his new role as Sam, Penn was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 74th Academy Awards in 2002. The film launched the career of child actress Dakota Fanning, who was then seven years old and had only acted in two small roles. She became the youngest actress to be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Plot

Sam Dawson, a man with an intellectual disability, is the single father of Lucy following their abandonment by her mother, a homeless woman. Sam is well-adjusted and has a supportive group of friends with disabilities, as well as a kind, agoraphobic neighbor, Annie, who takes care of Lucy when Sam cannot. Though Sam provides a loving place for precocious Lucy, she soon surpasses his mental ability.
Other children bully her for having an intellectually disabled father, and she becomes too embarrassed to accept that she is more advanced than he is. In danger of losing custody, Sam gets advice from his friends and also hires a lawyer, Rita Harrison, whose absorption in her work and neglect of her son reveal her to be at least as handicapped as Sam is, although in a socially acceptable way. In an attempt to prove that she is not cold, Rita agrees to take on Sam's case pro bono. As they work to secure Sam's rights, Sam helps Rita see her own life anew. This includes encouraging her to leave her philandering husband and repair her fractious relationship with her son.
At the trial, Sam cries. Afterwards, Lucy resides in a foster home with Randy Carpenter but tries to convince Sam to help her run away. She continually escapes in the middle of the night to go to his apartment, though he immediately returns her. However, the foster parents decide not to adopt her as they had planned and return her to Sam. Randy assures him that she will tell the judge Sam is the better parent for Lucy. In turn, Sam asks Randy if she will help him raise Lucy, because he feels she needs a mother figure.
The final scene depicts a soccer game, in which Sam referees and Lucy participates as a player. In attendance are Lucy's former foster family, Sam's friendship group, and a newly single Rita with her son.

Cast

Soundtrack

The Grammy Award-nominated soundtrack, in addition to a John Powell score, also has cover versions of songs by the Beatles. Penn commissioned artists such as the Black Crowes, Nick Cave, Stereophonics, Eddie Vedder, Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan, Rufus Wainwright, the Wallflowers, Ben Harper, the Vines and Ben Folds, to cover the songs for the soundtrack. Penn's brother, Michael Penn, is also featured on a duet with his wife Aimee Mann.
As the movie was shot and produced to the original Beatles music, the artists had to record their covers to the same musical timing as that of the Beatles' original pieces.

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 35% based on reviews from 144 critics, with an average rating of 4.64/10. The site's consensus reads: "Not only does the manipulative I Am Sam oversimplify a complex issue, it drowns it in treacle." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 28 of 100 based on 33 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade A on scale of A to F.
A. O. Scott of the New York Times wrote that "I Am Sam is not a bad movie, and its intentions are unimpeachable. But its sentimentality is so relentless and its narrative so predictable that the life is very nearly squeezed out of it." Variety wrote: "Undone by its best intentions, I Am Sam is an especially insipid example of the Hollywood message movie". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that "every device of the movie's art is designed to convince us Lucy must stay with Sam, but common sense makes it impossible to go the distance with the premise." Ebert also criticized the morality tale character of the movie, saying that "you can't have heroes and villains when the wrong side is making the best sense."
Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times reviewed it positively as a "most inviting and accessible film that turns upon a mental condition that most people would prefer not to think about." Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle commended Sean Penn for his performance: "Penn's accuracy, his lack of or sentiment, and his willingness to inhabit his character without any implicit commentary take what might have been the equivalent of an inflated TV movie and elevate it to the level of art." David Denby of The New Yorker, found Michelle Pfeiffer to be the standout: "Pfeiffer, enormously likable in the role, almost saves the movie."

Accolades

was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor and the Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama.
Dakota Fanning won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Young Performer, the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Youth in Film, the Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Youth Actress, the Satellite Special Achievement Award for Outstanding New Talent, and the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Actress Age Ten or Under. She was also nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.
The soundtrack was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
The film won the inaugural Stanley Kramer Award from the Producers Guild of America, and was nominated for the Humanitas Prize and the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Foreign Language Film.
Awarding BodyAwardNomineeResult
Academy AwardsBest ActorSean Penn
Broadcast Film Critics AssociationBest ActorSean Penn
Broadcast Film Critics AssociationBest Young PerformerDakota Fanning
Grammy AwardsBest Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Humanitas Prize
Japanese Academy AwardsOutstanding Foreign Language Film
Las Vegas Film Critics SocietyYouth in FilmDakota Fanning
Producers Guild of AmericaStanley Kramer AwardJessie Nelson
Edward Zwick
Marshall Herskovitz
Richard Solomon
Phoenix Film Critics SocietyPhoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Youth ActressDakota Fanning
Satellite AwardsBest ActorSean Penn
Satellite AwardsSpecial Achievement Award for Outstanding New TalentDakota Fanning
Screen Actors GuildOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading RoleSean Penn
Screen Actors GuildOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting RoleDakota Fanning
Young Artist AwardsBest Family Feature Film – Drama
Young Artist AwardsBest Performance in a Feature Film – Young Actress Age Ten or UnderDakota Fanning