Review of I Am Sam (2014) by Jecoliah S — 31 Mar 2012

The title says it all.

If you don't cry at this, or at least shed one tear, than you may in fact be a robot.

The Story: A mentally handicapped man, struggles to get custody over his seven year old daughter. At the same time that Sam is trying to get his daughter back, his seemingly heartless lawyer learns that there's a little more to life than just money. It's nothing fancy, but it's a story that you won't soon forget. Clocking in at about 130 minutes, it might seem a little long, but rest assured, it won't seem like that. It's got an interesting style here, a lot of the lighting and color choices here have a blue tinge to them, and the camera work is remarkable. The only thing that bothers me about this movie is that it's all about love and how nothing more is really important, but watching it, you'll almost get sick from all the blatant advertisements. I mean really, how many times do we need to see Starbucks? Okay, we get it, there's a lot of them, and they're doing well...Let it go.

The Cast: Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dakota Fanning...Sean Penn doesn't quite reach Hoffman in Rainman, but this is one hell of a great performance none-the-less. He plays Sam, the man trying to get his daughter back. One of his greatest roles lies within this movie. He gives a powerful performance here that will have even the coldest, most heartless person crying. Michelle Pfeiffer, also gives a great performance here, as Sams cold lawyer. She takes his case not out of kindness, but just to prove to her snobby friends that she can be help the less fortunate. Although she starts out cold, she warms up by the end. It's great to actually see a character evolve and change in front of your eyes. It's a mix of great acting, and great writing that works in her case. Dakota Fanning, everyone that's seen the 2005 War of the Worlds knows this kid has some talent these days. With that said, you'll see that she had some serious talent even 4 years ago. She plays Sams daughter, the loving child that doesn't want to leave her father behind. A definite rising star, as this is a breathtaking performance.

One to Five Scale: 5.

Touching, heartwarming, powerful. Memorable characters and great performances make this one a must see.

Tyler.