Penn shares a little love with `Sam'
By JUDE SEYMOUR
Scene Movie Critic
John Lennon once penned the simple phrase "All you need is love." In 1967, Lennon could not have foreseen how such uncomplicated words would become a universal mantra that has outgrown the framework of a mere Beatles tune and been applied to situations perhaps never intended in its original composition. Indeed, "I Am Sam" looks to adopt Lennon's lyric and frame the movie's message on its foundation; in the case of a 7-year-old girl who is outsmarting her mentally retarded father: May love triumph over logic, because love is all little Lucy Dawson needs.
The film tells the story of Sam (Sean Penn), a grown-up with the IQ of a 7-year-old who is trying to raise his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning) the best way he knows how. Despite Sam's good intentions, Lucy has begun to limit her learning at school, fearing that she will become smarter than her father. In the best interests of the child, the state intervenes and the central conflict of the narrative commences.
Since the movie has already provided numerous scenes detailing Sam's heroic efforts to raise Lucy, it becomes impossible to root for anyone who aims to interfere. The audience is not given the chance to choose a side, for the scriptwriters have already applied "good" and "bad" labels to each of the characters.
Since Sam is a meagerly paid employee at Starbucks, he has no money to afford proper representation. However, he stumbles into the office of a high-powered attorney named Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer), who's detached demeanor towards her clients has become so habitual that she takes Sam's case pro bono to supplant the negative talk about her personality around the office. Her only defense in Sam's case is his ability to provide an extraordinary amount of love for Lucy, even if he cannot explain puberty to her or the reason the sky is blue.
"I Am Sam" exploits the acting talent of Penn to build early audience sympathy. Because of this, the film does not need a logical defense later. It almost convinces its audience that love will provide all the necessities. Lucy receives an outpouring of devotion not only from Sam, but also from a cast of misfit friends, all of whom have struggled against significant mental disabilities and are able to provide Lucy with the nurturing she needs. The most helpful support Sam receives is from Annie (Dianne Wiest), a college graduate with no physical defects but who is terrified of leaving her house. The movie implicitly suggests that whenever Sam reaches his intellectual boundary with Lucy, help from Annie is just a phone call away.
It is too hard to tell if this support system will be enough for Lucy in the long run. Although vilified by the movie's agenda, the state's attorney (Richard Schiff) presents a logical argument against Sam's restricted care. The attorney's interests are for the child, who he fears will be lost in the "all you need is love" agenda that Rita creates at the custody trial. While Rita will move onto high-profile cases after this trial is settled, the state's attorney maintains that he might see Lucy again if she receives improper care. His attack on Sam is a preemptive move so that this doesn't happen.
In the end, Sam and the state of California resolve their custody battle over Lucy not with a court judgment, but with a unique settlement that unites Sam's love and the state's wish for Lucy's proper care. It is not necessarily important how this is resolved, but more that it allows the movie to acknowledge the logic of the state's attorney without perverting its "love is all you need" message.
"I Am Sam" exists with these flaws, but it also elicits some very touching performances from both Penn and newcomer Fanning. The love that exists between this uncommon pair — a mentally retarded father with an encyclopedic knowledge of The Beatles and his uncommonly bright 7-year-old daughter — looks shockingly authentic onscreen. The movie then asks for an emotional investment from the audience so they may be touched by a message concerning the glorious feelings of unconditional love.
Fewer films strive for a more uplifting conclusion, and for that reason this movie has much to celebrate. In the end, "I Am Sam" may not be logically perfect, but it still has the ability to make us believe that love is a big part of what we all need. -- Three shamrocks (out of five)
Contact Jude Seymour at jseymour@nd.edu.
All Scene Stories for Thursday, January 31, 2002
