 Movie
Reviews
with Andy Gough
I Am Sam (M)
Directed by Jessie Nelson
 Sean Penn as Sam and Dakota Fanning as Lucy (in the sky with diamonds) tug at the heart strings in I Am Sam.
Sean Penn stars as Sam Dawson, an intellectually challenged man who has parenthood thrust upon him suddenly when he is left to care for his newborn daughter, Lucy.
Sam has the intellectual capacity of a seven-year-old (or a Democrat), and as the oh-so-cute Lucy is almost seven (and potentially the next Democrat leader) and begins to surpass her father's limited mental capacity. So the meddling Dept of Social Services (how come they only turn up when you don't need them?) decides that Sam is incapable of parenting and places Lucy in foster care. Sam enlists the reluctant aid of high-powered lawyer Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer) in a bid to reclaim custody of Lucy, and his life.
The perhaps overly-sentimental tone of this film is made bearable by the outstanding performances of the cast, most especially Dakota Fanning as the adorable Lucy.
Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer also shine in their roles, and evoke the appropriate compassion from the audience for the plight of Sam, as he does his utmost to provide for his gorgeous young daughter.
The film utilises interesting cinematic techniques to draw the viewer more intimately into Sam's world, with most of the film consisting of close-ups and frenetic, hand-held camera work. The result is an in-your-face journey through emotional turmoil right up to the inevitable happy ending.
At just over two hours in length, I Am Sam feels a bit gruelling and claustrophobic at times.
I couldn't help thinking, however, that Family Services Minister and self-appointed parenting expert Larry Anthony would do well to be strapped to a chair and forced to endure the plight of poor Sam as his life is destroyed when the State decides that he is unfit to be a parent, and what is 'best' for his child.
Sam has a tendency to relate to the world through analogy to Beatles songs, and the lives of the Fab Four, hence the superb soundtrack is comprised totally of Beatles numbers rejuvenated by contemporary artists. The songs, and their context in the film, are incredibly poignant and moving, even for an old Beatles purist such as myself.
The moral of the story is simple, and heartening - All you need is love.
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