Barnes & Noble

Chalk up another virtuoso performance for Sean Penn, whose remarkable portrayal of a developmentally challenged father waging a custody fight makes this potentially mawkish drama a must-see movie. His Sam Dawson is a good-natured, Beatles-obsessed Starbucks clerk with the mental capacity of a seven-year-old. When it becomes apparent that his young daughter, Lucy (played by adorable newcomer Dakota Fanning), is deliberately stunting her intellectual development so he can keep up with her, social workers take the girl away from him. Michelle Pfeiffer, whose own first-rate performance is regrettably overshadowed by Penn’s, plays a hard-charging lawyer shamed into representing Sam on a pro bono basis when he elects to challenge the system. Director Jessie Nelson (Corrina, Corrina), who also coauthored the screenplay, labors mightily to keep the Establishment types from seeming like black-hearted villains, and he allots ample footage to Pfeiffer’s character, who has an epiphany while defending the loving father and realizes that, for all his shortcomings, he possesses qualities she lacks as a parent. Nelson also keeps Sam’s numerous misadventures from becoming buffoonish or diminishing the severity of his dilemma. Penn plays this role with all the intensity and commitment his fans have come to expect, and thanks largely to him, I Am Sam is a touching, unforgettable film. Nelson supplies a feature-length commentary for the DVD, which also includes an original documentary, Becoming Sam, deleted scenes, alternate takes, and a theatrical trailer. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

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 regular 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. Karl Williams

New York Post

It works magic because of Penn, who disappears into the character so thoroughly that even Dustin Hoffman ... would be jealous. Lou Lumenick

New York Observer

Another spectacular workout by the versatile and indefatigable Sean Penn saves the sudsy I Am Sam from the rinse cycle. Rex Reed

Product Details

• UPC: 794043553721
• Source: NEW LINE HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 2:14:00
• Sales Rank: 3,356

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