WubsTheFadger Short and Simple Review by WubsTheFadgerBy far the best aspect of this film is the acting. Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Dakota Fanning all do a fantastic job at portraying their respective characters. Laura Dern hands in a great performance. The story is quite simple and starts off strong but it loses some power as it continues on. The runtime is overly long. This is the films biggest downfall. If the film was about ten to fifteen minutes shorter, it would be a lot better. The ending, without spoiling anything, is satisfying but it could have been better if it had more of an emotional impact.Pros: Great acting, simple yet satisfying story, does have some emotional impactCons: Overly long runtime, story gets weak at the end, the ending is good but could have been betterOverall Rating: 7.0/10

Davis P I Am Sam is a 2001 film starring A list actors: Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Dakota Fanning. The films cast and their abilities is a very big part of why this movie works well. Sean Penn delivers one of the best performances of his entire career. He plays the mentally handicapped father role so well. And Michelle Pfeiffer plays the hardened going 24/7 lawyer who gets softened by Sam. And she does it beautifully. There are some scenes where Pfeiffer and Penn just absolutely steal the show with their performance and you are completely memorized by them, that's what makes this film so good. And Dakota Fanning is very impressive for her age here, she handles dramatic heavy scenes very well and that's probably why she has gone on to continue a successful Hollywood career. The writing is good overall, I will say that the script isn't the strongest thing in the world but it is good. I think the screenplay and the execution of the plot takes a little bit of a backseat to the magnificent performances given. But that doesn't mean that the screenplay is weak, because it's not. Overall, I definitely suggest I Am Sam to any and everyone! It's a touching well done film about love and connection. 8/10.

krocheav After waiting several years to see this film--all the while hoping for a thoughtful handling of its tough subject-- I was left wondering what went wrong. I have great empathy for films about challenged people coming to terms with their situations but, when a writer and director play fully on the viewers emotionalism it reduces the work to mere manipulation. If you want to see what it looks like when done better try finding "Charly" '68 ~ where Cliff Robertson deservedly won the academy award for his fine interpretation - along with a script offering more depth. While Sean Penn can be OK, he can often be painful - here, he is OK but the material is simply unbelievable.It's also hard to believe that Cinematographer Elliot Davis allowed his name to be left on the credits. There are sections where the sloppy, single hand held camera shots rival some of the worst to be seen in a 'mainstream' movie - the jerky movements and annoyingly bad use of the zoom lens made me feel so nauseous that watching to the end became a complete struggle. Judging from the blatant product placement throughout - it looks like the producers may have ended up with a comparatively small financial outlay. What could and should have been a warm, intelligent character study has been given a somewhat sentimentalized, if not patronizing, how-not-to- do-it Hollywood treatment - while also perhaps lacking a degree of genuine integrity. The end result looks like a let's try playing it to the hilt and see if any awards might just get handed out. And predictably some were - but not quite what was hoped for.Michelle Pfeiffer at times looks a little embarrassed with her lines as well as certain situations in her role as a successful high priced lawyer and, can we truly believe this woman doesn't have anyone knocking on her door? - perhaps this situation might have played more convincingly if the always reliable Laura Dern role was reversed. While young Dakota Fanning is marvelous her lines are far too mature for her cute six year old. Considering what it might have been with better handling this generally comes over as a bit of a contrivance. Those looking for a feel good show who don't necessarily want to think too much about their movies will enjoy it - others could possibly be more than a little disappointed. We've sure seen worse but this should have been better. Please don't play it again Sam...

grantss Great, incredibly moving, movie. Starts off slowly, and confusingly, but gets better and better, and more emotional, as it goes on. Ending feels a bit rushed, but that would be the only criticism.Sean Penn gives a superb performance as the mentally challenged Sam. Deserved his Oscar nomination and very unlucky to miss out in the end (went to Denzel Washington for Training Day). Solid support from Michelle Pfeiffer as the tough-as-nails lawyer. Dakota Fanning is great as Lucy, Sam's daughter.Aided by a great soundtrack, consisting of covers of Beatles songs by various artists. Artists include Ben Harper, Eddie Vedder, The Black Crowes, Cheryl Crow, Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds.