I Am Sam
Starring: Sean Penn, Michele Pfeifer, Doug Hutchison
Directed By:

The story of a mentally challenged man’s quest to keep his young daughter should be a moving tale. What falls apart in this film though is not it’s intentions, but it’s lack of direction. Sean Penn stars as Sam, the retarded father who is fighting to keep his daughter, who on the verge of her eighth birthday has now mentally surpassed his capacity. Penn is terrific as Sam, and he just deserves the accolades he has received, but there is only so much he can do to help keep this film afloat. The direction is incredibly lacking though, and it becomes increasingly obvious that the director wants you to know that Sam loves his daughter, but there is only so much he can show. The cinematography is quite nice though, with most of the film being shot handheld, which gives the film an amazing depth of reality. Michele Pfeifer plays Sam’s lawyer, who is obviously going to learn an immense amount about life from Sam. Pfeifer does a nice job of simply playing the role simple, and making the most of it. I Am Sam showcases some fine acting talent, but unfortunately falls somewhat short in it’s story. C+