I am Sam is an unexpectedly entertaining and educational film about an autistic man named Sam (Sean Penn) who is left with the overwhelming task of singlehandedly raising his daughter, Lucy Diamond (Dakota Fanning).

I am Sam is an unexpectedly entertaining and educational film about an autistic man named Sam (Sean Penn) who is left with the overwhelming task of singlehandedly raising his daughter, Lucy Diamond (Dakota Fanning).

Penn gives an surprisingly strong performance as a developmentally challenged man who works at Starbucks and assures his customers that they have made "an excellent choice" in their selection of beverages. The film opens with Sam deftly seperating the sugar from artificial sweeteners. Most impressive was the fact that Penn convincingly remained in character throughout the film which clearly illustrates his maturity as an actor.

Seven year old Dakota Fanning offered an moving and flawless performance as the bright and precocious daughter who is removed from her loving father on her seventh birthday by social worker Margaret (Loretta Devine). This happens following a series of events where Sam is unable to maintain control of his emotions stemming from his autism*. One such situation was a result of a break from the pair's weekly routine of eating at IHOP because Lucy heard from the kids at school that Bob's Big Boy was better. After initial resistance to the change, Sam relents to Lucy's pleas and it resulted in an ugly and sad spectacle surrounding Bob's not having French Pancakes like IHOP.

In an effort to regain custody of Lucy, Sam hires a pricey four-named lawyer named Rita (Michelle Pfeiffer). Rita, a neurotic attorney with family issues of her own is eventually won over by Sam and convinced to represent him pro-bono. Pfeiffer offered a disappointingly flat performance that was more than made up for by the supporting cast, including Sam's comical group of friends. In one particularly funny scene, Sam's friends offer advice on recording an outgoing message on his new answering machine, "you probably should sound more outgoing."

Dianne Weist, a classically trained actress who has appeared in a number of Woody Allen movies, played an integral part of the first half of the film as Sam's reclusive neighbor Annie who helps him raise Lucy from an emotional distance.

The multiple layers of I Am Sam blend together into a delicious mix of light humor and serious drama. You will find yourself laughing through a veil of tears that you weren't able to wipe away quickly enough. The pacing was excellent, the cast was exceptional and Sam will cause you take a second look at your personal attitudes about developmentally disabled people by the time the closing credits scroll up the screen.


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*Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. The result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, autism and its associated behaviors have been estimated to occur in as many as 2 to 6 in 1,000 individuals (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2001). Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than girls. It is estimated that some 500,000 to 1,500,000 people in the U.S. today have autism or some form of pervasive developmental disorder. Its prevalence rate makes autism one of the most common developmental disabilities. Yet most of the public, including many professionals in the medical, educational, and vocational fields, are still unaware of how autism affects people and how they can effectively work with individuals with autism.

Source:
http://www.autism-society.org