Movie: "I Am Sam"

Release Date: Dec 2001 Genre: Drama Awards: Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 wins & 9 nominations Runtime: 132 min Cast: Sean Penn (Sam Dawson) Michelle Pfeiffer (Rita Harrison Williams) Dakota Fanning (Lucy Diamond Dawson) Dianne Wiest (Annie Cassell) Loretta Devine (Margaret Calgrove) Richard Schiff (Mr. Turner) Laura Dern (Randy Carpenter) Brad Silverman (Brad (as Brad Allan Silverman)) Joseph Rosenberg (Joe) Stanley DeSantis (Robert) Doug Hutchison (Ifty) Rosalind Chao (Lily) Ken Jenkins (Judge Philip McNeily) Wendy Phillips (Miss Wright) Mason Lucero (Conner Rhodes)

Storyline

Sam Dawson has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old. He works at a Starbucks and is obsessed with the Beatles. He has a daughter with a homeless woman; she abandons them as soon as they leave the hospital. He names his daughter Lucy Diamond (after the Beatles song), and raises her. But as she reaches age 7 herself, Sam's limitations start to become a problem at school; she's intentionally holding back to avoid looking smarter than him. The authorities take her away, and Sam shames high-priced lawyer Rita Harrison into taking his case pro bono. In the process, he teaches her a great deal about love, and whether it's really all you need.