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I Am Sam
Sign in to save2001 film directed by Jessie Nelson
Film · TMDB
7.6Sam, a neurodivergent man, has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them when they leave the hospital, leaving Sam to raise Lucy on his own. But as Lucy grows up, Sam's limitations as a parent start to become a problem and the authorities take her away. Sam convinces high-priced lawyer Rita to take his case pro bono and in turn teaches her the value of love and family.
Cast
- Sean Penn as Sam Dawson
- Michelle Pfeiffer as Rita Harrison Williams
- Dianne Wiest as Annie Cassell
- Dakota Fanning as Lucy Diamond Dawson
- Richard Schiff as Mr. Turner
- Loretta Devine as Margaret Calgrove
Themes
- mentally disabled
- foster parents
- lawyer
- pro bono
- social services
- coffee shop manager
- pizza hut
- children's book
- locked door
- child custody
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Ratings
IMDb
7.6/10
160,859 votes
Rotten Tomatoes
35%
Metacritic
28/100
- Year
- 2001
- Runtime
- 132 min
- Genres
- Drama
- Rated
- PG-13
- Awards
- Nominated for 1 Oscar. 8 wins & 12 nominations total
via OMDb · IMDb
Key facts
- Directed by
- Jessie Nelson
- Written by
- Kristine Johnson Jessie Nelson
- Produced by
- Jessie Nelson , Richard Solomon , Edward Zwick , Marshall Herskovitz
- Starring
- Sean Penn Michelle Pfeiffer Dianne Wiest Dakota Fanning Richard Schiff Doug Hutchison Loretta Devine Laura Dern
- Cinematography
- Elliot Davis
- Edited by
- Richard Chew
- Music by
- John Powell
- Production company
- The Bedford Falls Company
- Distributed by
- New Line Cinema
- Release date
- December 28, 2001 ( 2001-12-28 ) (limited) January 25, 2002 (wide)
- Running time
- 132 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Budget
- $22 million
- Box office
- $97.8 million
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Duration
- 127
- FilmAffinity ID
- 353635
- Official website
- www.iamsammovie.com
Show 5 more facts
- publication date
- 2002-05-09
- title
- I Am Sam
- review score
- 28/100
- capital cost
- 22000000
- box office
- 97818139
Sources (9)
via Wikidata · CC0
~8 min read
Article
I Am Sam (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2001 American drama film co-written and directed by Jessie Nelson. It stars Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianne Wiest, Dakota Fanning, Richard Schiff, Loretta Devine, and Laura Dern.
Nelson and co-writer Kristine Johnson researched the problems facing adults with intellectual disabilities by visiting the non-profit organization L.A. GOAL (Greater Opportunities for the Advanced Living). They subsequently cast two actors with disabilities, Brad Silverman and Joe Rosenberg, in key roles. The film's title is derived from the lines "I am Sam / Sam I am" of the book Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, which is included in the movie.