Sean Penn and Dakota Fanning in "I Am Sam."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer Director: Jessie Nelson Rated: PG-13, with profanity Length: 132 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(January 25, 2002) -- Do you have to be smarter than your child to be a good parent?

Or, are other criteria -- love, trust, emotional support and security -- just as important? Could such things be even more important than brains?

Sam Dawson (Sean Penn) is a man with the intelligence of a 7-year-old. But he's also fathered a little girl. After the ne'er-do-well mother runs away, Sam must raise the child.

When Lucy (Dakota Fanning) turns 8 -- and is going to school -- government authorities want to take her away.

That's the premise of I Am Sam, a drama that showcases a stunning performance by Sean Penn.

Sam gets along fine as a clerk at a coffee shop and is happy as long as his routine isn't disrupted. There's breakfast at IHOP on Wednesdays, video nights with his disabled buddies on Thursdays and karaoke on Fridays. His life is as well-ordered as the sugar packets he lines up on tables at Starbucks.

But change happens. When Lucy begins school, she is reluctant to do well. She loves her Dad too much to demonstrate an intelligence that surpasses his. She also hears derogatory remarks from classmates about her father.

Teachers and a social worker begin to note problems. It looks as though Sam will lose his daughter to a foster family.

But Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer) enters the picture. The fast-track lawyer normally wouldn't be caught dead with a disadvantaged, pro-bono client -- but is publicly embarrassed into taking Sam's case.

Rita also has parenting problems; her obsessive work habits have distanced her from her own child.

I Am Sam benefits from strong performances at all levels, starting with Penn. While playing a disabled character is sometimes a one-note assignment, the trick is never letting down your guard. Penn is believably disabled every moment he's on screen.

Pfeiffer manages to be both irritating and sympathetic as the driven lawyer and eventually makes you aware of the pain in her life. Fanning makes the precocious Lucy believable and lovable in an unusual situation.

Director and co-writer Jessie Nelson energizes her film with up-close, fly-on-the-wall camera work and an ultra-bright, sun-drenched color scheme.

The film gets a key boost from a soundtrack of Beatle songs, lovingly remade by contemporary artists.

Sam, you see, loves the Beatles. And when it's suggested that he doesn't have what it takes to be a good father, he reminds us that no one thought George Harrison was much of a songwriter.

"But then he wrote 'Here Comes the Sun,' the best song on Abbey Road."

I Am Sam shines with warmth and illumination, just like that sun.