I am Sam (New Line Platinum Series) | 
| Director: Jessie Nelson
Actors: Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dakota Fanning, Dianne Wiest, Loretta Devine
Studio: New Line Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $1.50
You Save: $13.48 (90%)
New (56) Used (88) Collectible (3) from $1.50
Rating:  249 reviews
Sales Rank: 2460
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 132 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: DN5537D
ISBN: 0780638158
UPC: 794043553721
EAN: 9780780638150
ASIN: B000066HAS
Theatrical Release Date: January 25, 2002
Release Date: June 18, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
I Am Sam makes you laugh, cry, and recoil all at the same time. Perhaps no other film of recent memory has epitomized the shameless sentimentality of Hollywood as succinctly as director and screenwriter Jessie Nelson's story of a mentally challenged man fighting to retain custody of his 7-year-old daughter. Sam (Sean Penn), who has the mental age of 7, wipes down tables at a Los Angeles Starbucks and takes good care of his daughter Lucy, who was left with him shortly after birth by a homeless woman. Sam has gotten by just fine with a little help from his friends, including his eccentric neighbor (Diane Wiest) and a lovable group of similarly challenged friends, but a series of misunderstandings leaves Sam fighting to get Lucy back from the state. Sam's lawyer, Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer), is an overly ambitious woman whose life is soon transformed by proximity to Sam's brimming humanity. Sean Penn is, as usual, wholeheartedly committed to his role and turns in an admirable, if overtly affected performance. However, I Am Sam, with all its earnest charm, reaches an emblematic low when Sam, a character apparently devoid of any authentic sentiment, delivers a courtroom speech memorized from Kramer vs. Kramer as the film's finale. --Fionn Meade
Product Description
A HUMOROUS AND HEART-WARMING FILM ABOUT A MENTALLY-CHALLENGED FATHER WHO ENLISTS THE AID OF A HIGH-POWER ATTORNEY TO HELP HIM REGAIN CUSTODY OF HIS DAUGHTER.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 244 more reviews...
 Green Eggs and Sam May 27, 2009
Jeremy (Springfield, Illinois)
Perhaps, it was Dr. Seuss or The Beatles. In any event, I really liked this overly sappy, yet endearing film from little known director Jessie Nelson. Nelson paired up with many people on this film, including Edward Zwick, who played the part of producer. Zwick, has directed many successful films including Glory and Blood Diamond. Anyway, the research that Jessie Nelson, Sean Penn, and many others did while spending time at LA Goal in southern California, a center for the mentally challenged, helped this film achieve a very authentic tone. Nelson interviewed one mentally challenged man who was raising a young daughter on his own and had learned to coordinate his daughter's feeding cycles by following a TV schedule. The choice to cast real mentally challenged actors also helped the film achieve a certain genuineness. Mentally challenged actors Joseph Rosenberg (Joe) and Brad Allen Silverman (Brad) were very real and persuasive as Sam's friends. Regarding the film's soundtrack, most of the residents at the center told Nelson and her colleagues that their favorite music was that of The Beatles. Consequently, we're left with a beautiful repertoire of Beatles covers by an impressive coterie of musicians, such as Sheryl Crow and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. In regards to Dr. Seuss, is there a child anywhere in America who didn't grow up hearing their parents read The Cat in the Hat or Green Eggs and Ham to them? The film really works because it shows us life as Sam and Lucy saw it; fun and hopeful. Too bad most of us seem to lose that outlook as we progress in life and begin experiencing disappointments. I once heard a millionaire say, "To become rich, one must start thinking like a child again and remember the things that were dreamed about."
TOUCHING STORY March 15, 2009
Anne Mahoney (LAS VEGAS, NV)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
STORY HOW A DISABLED MAN FIGHTS TO RETAIN CUSTODY OF HIS DAUGHTER. TEAR JERKER
cinematic excellence March 11, 2009
James W. Bell (Denver, Colorado, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This film is excellent in many ways, including casting, interactive
dialogue, cinematography, emotional presence, and plot. Kudos to the
entire staff of movie-makers who turned this one out.[...]
I Am Sam February 19, 2009
Shepherd of the Hills (North Georgia Mountains)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
An outstanding movie that focused on the power of love. Sean Penn gave a superb 'heart and soul' performance!
***6 STARS IF IT WERE AN OPTION!****** January 29, 2009
Kamaria B. Price (Texas)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This movie was incredible, and never gets old. Its interesting how Sean Penn had a more quality relationship with his daughter, despite the handicap. He spent lots of time with her, and did his best to attend to her needs. Michelle Pfeiffer, very educated, intelligent and very hardworking; yet not able to spend quality time with her son. Should Child Protective Services remove her son away from the home, for "daily child abandoment?". You be the judge. I think the movie teaches us that no one has all of the answers. But its pivotal that the question be explored. This movie beautifully captured how parents, from different walks of life, learned from each other. Sam taught Michelle patience and selflessness. She began in the movie very impatient and with a low tolerance for "Sam". As the movie progressed, she became more willing to put aside her needs and focus on those of her client. Let's not forget he pushed and pushed her to get to this point. She also began to see the value in focusing on her child's needs. Michelle taught Sam about how to make a convincing argument on something that he cherished. The methods he and his friends used to fight for his daughter's cause were very unique and odd, especiallly in a stuffy, " old traditional courtroom". But her drive and ability to navigate the court/political culture challenged him to make a case for his daughter's cause. They needed each other, essentially to help create a more quality relationship with their children.
And alas, finally there is Lucy, Dakota Fanning. She is one of the most innovative, believable, BREATHTAKING actors of our time. And she's pint-sized! I'm amazed at how such an enormous talent came out of such a little bitty body. Dakota has an extraordinary talent that will live with her the rest of her life. Even when the show and fame is over in her life, she will still be blessed with such pure talent. No one can take it away from her. Absolutely no one. At 26 years old, I am a huge fan of her work.
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