I Am Sam review

With Sean Penn receiving an Oscar nomination for his performance as Sam Dawson, Academy voters have once again proved how swayed they are by any character with an affliction. Penn is undoubtedly a wonderful actor, but his portrayal of the retarded Dawson relies much more on an impressive repertoire of ticks and sentiment than it does on talent. Indeed the whole film is a distasteful and blatant exercise in mawkishness.

To compound the film's lack of subtlety, director Jessie Nelson has inexplicably chosen to make I Am Sam look like some glamorous and slick car commercial rather than a tender film about a mentally challenged father's love for his daughter. And why is it that every cinematic simpleton can never find trousers long enough? When held up alongside films like Sling Blade andRain Man that mine the same territory, I Am Sam comes across as clumsy and patronising.

Sam Dawson, who has the mental capacity of a seven-year-old, literally finds himself holding the baby when the mother, a homeless woman Sam had befriended one night, deserts them both outside the hospital. Although he manages to hold down a job at Starbucks, Sam can barely look after himself, so the prospect of him trying to raise his child seems daunting. Sadly, we never get to see this, which might have proved a far more compelling story. Instead I Am Sam concerns itself with the legal aspect of whether a person with his disability should be allowed to look after his child rather than exploring more fully the true problems father and daughter face.

When young Lucy (an impossibly cute and precocious Dakota Fanning) reaches seven, the authorities intervene and Sam is forced to find a lawyer to help him retain custody. He engages the services of the permanently distracted and quick-tempered Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer) who only agrees to take his case pro bono to prove to her colleagues that contrary to popular opinion she is not a complete mercenary. Pfeiffer seems completely unsuited to the role of the overwrought Harrison, charging around maniacally, uncertain if her character is meant to be taken seriously or not. It's a judgement that could just as easily be levelled at I Am Sam.

The only redeeming feature of I Am Sam is its inspired soundtrack of Beatles covers that reflect Sam's infatuation with the Fab Four. It's a connection that gives rise to the film's promotional tag line "Love is all you need". A more appropriate one would have been "Help".