I Am Sam
| I Am Sam | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Jessie Nelson |
| Produced by | Jessie Nelson Richard Solomon Edward Zwick Marshall Herskovitz |
| Written by |
Kristine Johnson Jessie Nelson |
| Starring |
Sean Penn Michelle Pfeiffer Dianne Wiest Dakota Fanning Richard Schiff Loretta Devine Laura Dern |
| Music by |
John Powell Hans Zimmer James Newton Howard |
| Cinematography | Elliot Davis |
| Edited by | Richard Chew |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
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Release date
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Running time
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134 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $22 million |
| Box office | $97,818,139 |
I Am Sam (stylized i am sam) is a 2001 American drama film written and directed by Jessie Nelson, and starring Sean Penn as a father with a developmental disability, Dakota Fanning as his inquisitive daughter, and Michelle Pfeiffer as his lawyer. Dianne Wiest, Loretta Devine, Richard Schiff and Laura Dern appear in supporting roles.
Jessie Nelson and Kristine Johnson, who co-wrote the screenplay, researched the issues 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.
For his role as Sam, Penn was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 74th Academy Awards in 2002.
The film launched the career of child actress Dakota Fanning, who was then seven years old and had only acted in a couple of small roles. She became the youngest actress to be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.
The movie's title is derived from the opening lines "I am Sam / Sam I am" of the book Green Eggs and Ham, which is read in the movie.
Sam Dawson (Sean Penn), a man with a developmental disability, is the single father of Lucy (Dakota Fanning), following their abandonment by her mother, who is revealed to be a homeless woman who "just needed a place to sleep". Despite his limitations, Sam is well-adjusted and has a supportive group of friends with developmental disabilities, as well as a kind, agoraphobic neighbor Annie (Dianne Wiest) who takes care of Lucy when Sam cannot. Though Sam provides a loving and caring environment for precocious Lucy, she soon surpasses his mental ability. Other children tease her for having a "retard" as a father, and she becomes too embarrassed to accept that she is more intellectually advanced than Sam.
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