I Am Sam Movie Review Essay Example
A Film Review of I am Sam
Some movies are slow-paced, manipulative, and predictable and yet they still win you over. Just like I am Sam directed by Jessie Nelson which presents a different kind of story that can make you laugh and cry. The lead actor and Academy Award nominee Sean Penn portrayed a challenging role in this film together with the gripping performances of his co-stars Michelle Pfeiffer and adorable Dakota Fanning.
I am Sam recounts a touching story of a father named Sam Dawson who was born with a mental capacity of a seven-year-old but struggles to prove that he is not different when it comes to raising his daughter, Lucy, like any normal parent can. With a little help from his kind neighbor and great support from his “special” buddies, his daughter somehow stays normal, healthy, and happy. The conflict arises when Lucy learns different things and starts to surpass his father intellectually. A child case worker enters the picture and takes away the child from his father for the authorities believe that the child should be placed in foster care. From this emotional scene, my initial feelings of annoyance and amusement shift to a sudden emotional attachment in Sam’s character as a father who will do anything to get his daughter back despite his abnormal condition. Sam seeks the service of a high-profile lawyer, Rita Harrison, who unwillingly takes his case on a pro bono basis. Eventually, Sam and Rita’s new-found relationship blossoms in an unexpected way throughout the movie as they help each other in facing and overcoming their own family problems.
Great love and true friendship are evidently shown in I am Sam. “All you need is love” which is the central message of the film - signifies that love is the most important ingredient in a relationship. Sam, though a retarded man, shows pure love and sufficient time to his daughter compared to his lawyer, Rita, whom he considers a perfect being, but suffers from failed marriage and
Some movies are slow-paced, manipulative, and predictable and yet they still win you over. Just like I am Sam directed by Jessie Nelson which presents a different kind of story that can make you laugh and cry. The lead actor and Academy Award nominee Sean Penn portrayed a challenging role in this film together with the gripping performances of his co-stars Michelle Pfeiffer and adorable Dakota Fanning.
I am Sam recounts a touching story of a father named Sam Dawson who was born with a mental capacity of a seven-year-old but struggles to prove that he is not different when it comes to raising his daughter, Lucy, like any normal parent can. With a little help from his kind neighbor and great support from his “special” buddies, his daughter somehow stays normal, healthy, and happy. The conflict arises when Lucy learns different things and starts to surpass his father intellectually. A child case worker enters the picture and takes away the child from his father for the authorities believe that the child should be placed in foster care. From this emotional scene, my initial feelings of annoyance and amusement shift to a sudden emotional attachment in Sam’s character as a father who will do anything to get his daughter back despite his abnormal condition. Sam seeks the service of a high-profile lawyer, Rita Harrison, who unwillingly takes his case on a pro bono basis. Eventually, Sam and Rita’s new-found relationship blossoms in an unexpected way throughout the movie as they help each other in facing and overcoming their own family problems.
Great love and true friendship are evidently shown in I am Sam. “All you need is love” which is the central message of the film - signifies that love is the most important ingredient in a relationship. Sam, though a retarded man, shows pure love and sufficient time to his daughter compared to his lawyer, Rita, whom he considers a perfect being, but suffers from failed marriage and