Review of I Am Sam (2001) by Monsieur R — 24 Aug 2010

"[b]This one is a keeper. Anyone who's ever been a parent or a child will be reaching for the tissue."[/b].

[b]I have to agree with this sensitive critic, unlike most of the others that berated this great little movie.. It isn't an epic or blockbuster or even one that will make film history necessarily.[/b].

[b]That said, I would recommend this movie to any parent for sure. This guy, played by Penn (an excellent and difficult job for him I am sure) is SAM, a barely functioning mentally challenged adult that never got beyond being 8 years old. Yet, he is fooled into having a child, raises it somehow (how he ever got out the hospital with the baby I wonder).[/b].

[b]He is so sociable and friendly, he gets arrested by being nice to a woman who is doing a sting operation on men by police. He goes to court to keep his child and from there the drama unfolds.[/b].

[b]He works minimum wage at a Starbucks and gets a top notch lawyer involved in the case by persisting. He can't pay, but she does the work pro bono, ie free.[/b].

[b]However unlikely the plot, this one will have you sympathetic to his case, since the little girl is way beyond her years and totally sane.[/b].

[b]Excellent little actor too, I might add, better than a lot of them.[/b].

[b]This movie worked for me. I rated it very high. Penn should have gotten an Oscar, maybe he did. A very memorable film, go get it and believe in miracles for a change.[/b].

Not for everyone.