I Am Sam

Play trailer

I Am Sam

PG-13

Released Jan 25, 2002

2h 12m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

35%

Tomatometer

145 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

"I Am Sam" is the compelling story of Sam Dawson (Sean Penn), a mentally-challenged father raising his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning) with the help of a unique group of friends. As Lucy turns seven and begins to intellectually surpass her father, their close bond is threatened when their unconventional living arrangement comes to the attention of a social worker who wants Lucy placed in foster care.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Not only does the manipulative I Am Sam oversimplify a complex issue, it drowns it in treacle.

Read Critics Reviews

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Moving film with great acting seems too contrived.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 24, 2010

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 2/5

Dec 30, 2006

Full Review

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Sean Penn may be the most gifted actor of his generation.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 19, 2003

Full Review

Michael Clark

Epoch Times

Penn never goes over the top with his speech, ticks, hand gestures, and all-around physicality. He doesn’t act like a mentally challenged man, he behaves like one: there’s a big difference between the two.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 10, 2022

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Penn's performance deserved the Oscar nomination.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 11, 2020

Full Review

Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Sean Penn gives the most professionally shameful, cruelly wrongheaded performance ever nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, while Jessie Nelson Kristine Johnson's script lives down to Penn's ugly ineptitude with idiotic catchphrases and product placement.

Rated: 0/4

Sep 25, 2010

Full Review

Read all reviews

Brett E

All these critic reviews saying this movie was like a TV movie of the week should never review anything ever again. Its a good movie and Sean Penn would never be in a MOW.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/20/25

Full Review

Francisco S

wow Sean Penn... MP was eye candy.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/19/25

Full Review

Tomaz B

I'm not afraid of admitting that this movie brought some tears. It's an emotional watch, the connection between Sam and his daughter Lucy is just too beautiful not to feel bad for the whole situation they find themselves in. I wish more parents would show their kids love on that level. On the other hand, I think a shared custody would've been the best solution for Lucy. She's in her early childhood, the amount of mental and emotional development in this stage of life is quite significant. She could greatly benefit from having a custodian who can make sure she's doing well in school, let her explore her interests and encourage her to socialize and make the best out of her childhood.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/30/25

Full Review

tm11999 M

spicoli as a whiney brain damaged dad is enough to make you read books. you shouldn't watch movies like this. build yourself a backyard sauna instead.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/25

Full Review

Brooke W

I have never written a review for a movie before, however, this movie deserves so much credit. I love this movie so much, I see a common theme with rotten tomatoes giving wholesome movies terrible ratings. This movie proves it. Rotten tomatoes was wrong to give this movie such a low rating.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/14/24

Full Review

Teddy B

Soulless and thoughtless, 'I Am Sam' is made with too much purpose. It's trying to say something that's already been said before. Sean Penn's performance goes from slightly endearing to grating, which isn't helped by the extensive runtime that fails to justify its existence. Shoddy camerawork never works out unless under an explicit excuse, which this film doesn't seem to want to bring up. It's just a technique without meaning.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/19/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Jessie Nelson

Director

Sean Penn

Sam Dawson

Michelle Pfeiffer

Rita

Dakota Fanning

Lucy

Dianne Wiest

Annie

Loretta Devine

Margaret Calgrove

Safe Passage

54%

74%

Safe Passage

Watchlist

White Oleander

69%

81%

White Oleander

Watchlist

The Deep End of the Ocean

42%

58%

The Deep End of the Ocean

Watchlist

A Rumor of Angels

30%

75%

A Rumor of Angels

Watchlist

I Love You, I Love You Not

40%

40%

I Love You, I Love You Not

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

"I Am Sam" is the compelling story of Sam Dawson (Sean Penn), a mentally-challenged father raising his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning) with the help of a unique group of friends. As Lucy turns seven and begins to intellectually surpass her father, their close bond is threatened when their unconventional living arrangement comes to the attention of a social worker who wants Lucy placed in foster care.

Director: Jessie Nelson
Producer: Jessie Nelson, Richard Solomon, Marshall Herskovitz, Edward Zwick
Screenwriter: Kristine Johnson, Jessie Nelson
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: New Line Cinema, Bedford Falls Productions, Avery Pix
Rating: PG-13 (Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 25, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 18, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $40.3M
Runtime: 2h 12m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now