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Though autistic with the mentality of a seven year old, Sam Dowson (Sean Penn) can perform simple
tasks and earns his keep at the Starbucks Café. A great fan of the Beatles, he names his daughter after their song, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." With the help of kind
neighbors and other mentally challenged friends, he raises Lucy (Dakota Fanning) with much love. She turns out to be mentally sharp as a diamond at seven years. Aware of her
beloved father's mental capacity, she holds back in her studies so she will not appear better than he. Her teachers are so alarmed by this development that the Department of
Children and Family Services takes steps to put Lucy in a foster home. Her foster mother is a kind and loving person but Sam wants to contest the State's action through the
court. He hires Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer), a high velocity lawyer who is shamed by her colleagues into accepting Sam's case pro bono. To whom will the court
entrust Lucy?
In a way, this film is like a progeny of two famous forebears. In 1988, the Rain Man
won the Oscar for its portrayal of a lovable autistic. It seems to have inspired the present film with a little twist, for here our loving and lovable autistic struggles to be accepted as his own man and as a fit father.
I am Sam is also reminiscent of Kramer vs. Kramer (Academy Award Winner, 1979), in its gripping courtroom drama for the custody of a child. The result of this
"crossbreeding" of both longtime favorites is a tearjerker that can awaken even dormant sympathies and feelings. Much of the success of the movie lies in the powerful
performance of a good cast, especially of Sean Penn who was nominated for the Oscar's Best Actor Award this year for his moving portrayal of Sam; Dakota Fanning is convincing
as the bright daughter; Michelle Pfeiffer does justice to her role as the firebrand lawyer. Choice Beatles songs like "From Two of Us" and "I'm Looking Through You" help
create the right emotional climate. The script has memorable punch lines like "One's intellectual capacity has no bearing on one's ability to love"
"All you need is love," seven-year-old Lucy tells her father Sam in his darkest hour. This
tagline seems to be the premise on which the film is built. It shows that love, indeed, is the most important motivation for anyone to keep going and trying. Still, can a
parent raise a child properly with scant resources but much love? As the film attempts to answer this and other questions, it makes us look deeper into the situation of those
who are mentally challenged.
(Date reviewed: April 26, 2002)
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