RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / I Am Sam
I Am Sam

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
  • Bookmark and Share

I Am Sam (2002)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
34 %
Tomatometer

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted: 140

Fresh: 47

Rotten:93

Average Rating: 4.6/10

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

Runtime: 2 hrs 14 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Dec 28, 2001 Limited

Box Office: $40,270,895

Synopsis: Actor Sean Penn displays another facet of his versatility as the title character of this inspirational tearjerker--a mentally handicapped father fighting for custody of his young daughter (Dakota... Actor Sean Penn displays another facet of his versatility as the title character of this inspirational tearjerker--a mentally handicapped father fighting for custody of his young daughter (Dakota Fanning). The child welfare board of his native Santa Monica has taken her from him, worried that at eight years old she has already begun to pass him in intellectual development. Sam's argument is that it's not brains but love that counts, and his case is taken by a stressed-out hot shot lawyer named Rita (Michelle Pfeiffer) who has her own problems dealing with her rebellious son. Anchored by his infectious love of the Beatles, the ceaselessly enthusiastic Sam becomes a positive influence on Rita as he raises a lot of questions about what's most important as a parent. Though it's Penn's show, Pfeiffer is so good she practically steals the film from him, and the startlingly precocious Fanning is not far behind. A warm soundtrack of Beatles covers and clever, fast-cut editing help the message of love and forgiveness shine through. [More]

Starring: Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laura Dern, Loretta Devine

Starring: Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laura Dern, Loretta Devine, Doug Hutchison, Richard Schiff, Dianne Wiest, Scott Paulin, Wendy Phillips, Will Wallace, Dakota Fanning

Director: Jessie Nelson

Director: Jessie Nelson
Screenwriter: Kristine Johnson, Jessie Nelson
Producer: Marshall Herskovitz, Edward Zwick, Richard Solomon
Composer: John Powell
Studio: New Line Cinema

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 19

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Jun 18, 2002

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for I Am Sam

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

And I think I am sick.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
09/23/04
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
03/16/04
Apollo Guide
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Zap2it.com | comment Comment
02/24/04
Michael Szymanski
Zap2it.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
12/15/03
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

Just watching Penn and Fanning interact...is worth wading through the occasionally ankle-deep syrup.

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

This movie plays like an after-school special or a public service announcement.

Full Review Source: Supercala.com | comment Comment
01/23/03
John Venable
Supercala.com

This movie is every bit as painful as it sounds.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Ron Wells
Film Threat

A fairly formulaic (and terribly overlong) tearjerker.

Full Review Source: Movieline | comment Comment
12/02/02
Stephen Farber
Movieline

Penn repeatedly hits the ball out of the park, but the rest of the team never gets past first base.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/06/02
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

The script lacks focus and consistency of approach, and the whole becomes a mixture of emotional manipulation and laughable caricature.

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
10/21/02
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Snobs | comment Comment
10/17/02
Stephen Himes
Film Snobs

The movie asks for a leap of faith that it can't make itself.

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

A supremely well-acted TV movie. But, like a lot of microwaveable insta-films, it has a capacity to taste shamefully better than it looks.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
08/29/02
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
08/12/02
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

Latest News for I Am Sam

October 25, 2007: Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning Teaming Up for My Sister's Keeper
They aren't even in high school yet, but the Fanning sisters are already grizzled Hollywood veterans -- and now they're teaming up onscreen for the first time. More...

See More Topics...

Related Forums for I Am Sam

Click here to be the first to post a message on this forum.

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
79%
79%
Gran Torino
30%
30%
12 Rounds
23%
23%
Confessions of a Shopa…
—
The Code
39%
39%
Inkheart

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
22%
22%
Push
12%
12%
The Unborn

More New Releases…

RT On Current TV

What’s Hot On RT

Deconstructing Harry

Deconstructing Harry

Pt. 3: Cuaron's darker Prisoner of Azkaban

Best Mockumentaries

Best Mockumentaries

From Borat to Spinal Tap, this one goes to 11

Humpday Clip

Humpday Clip

An exclusive peek at the indie comedy!

Half-Blood Prince

Half-Blood Prince

How good is the 6th Harry Potter?

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: T.J. Hooker Film in Development
38
  • Warners Shortens Green Lantern Wishlist Source: Hollywood Reporter
120
  • Harold Ramis Talks Ghostbusters 3 Source: MakingOf.com
42
  • Spider-Man 4 Gets Its Third Writer Source: Latino Review
60
  • Warners Wins Favorable Ruling in Superman Case Source: Variety
20
  • Remo Williams Rides Again Source: Risky Biz
10
  • Mortal Kombat 3 Filming in September? Source: Slashfilm
82
  • MacGruber Gets a Director Source: Variety
39
  • PG-13 Turns 25 Source: VideoETA
8
  • Weekly Ketchup: Universal Takes on Asteroids
92
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
76
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
67
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Transformers and Ice Age Tie for Top Spot
59
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
53
  • Total Recall: Mock Docs That Rock
45
  • Critics Consensus: Bruno is Certified Fresh
43
  • Five Favorite Films with Kathryn Bigelow
39
  • Tomatometer Watch: How Good is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?
36
  • RT on DVD: Knowing, Push, The Unborn Unleashed
26
  • Five Favourite Films with Jaime Winstone
19
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • RT Interview: Director Carlos Cuaron on Rudo and Cursi
0
  • RT Interview: Tony Scott on The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
10
  • Cannes 2009: RT Interview - Sally Hawkins on We Want Sex
2
  • RT Interview: Tilda Swinton on Julia
5
  • Hollywood Legend Debbie Reynolds Reflects On her Life in Showbiz
10
  • Exclusive: McG Talks Terminator Salvation
24
  • Georgia Groome - Fresh Talent on RT
5
  • RT Interview: Reading The Reader with Stephen Daldry
11
  • RT Interview: Oscar Nominee Melissa Leo
7
  • Carey Mulligan - Fresh Talent on RT
7
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • I Am Sam at Rotten Tomatoes
  • I Am Sam at IGN
  • I Am Sam at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
Point-Counterpoint: Bruno
Point-Counterpoint: Bruno External Link

MSN's David Fear and Frank Paiva go head to head discussing the pros and cons of Bruno star Sacha Baron Cohen.

The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon External Link

The AV Club's Scott Tobias takes a second look at David Lynch's cult classic, Lost Highway.

Tom Cruise's 10 Best Roles
Tom Cruise's 10 Best Roles External Link

TIME takes us on a 25-year long journey into the superstar's career, giving us a look at his 10 best roles.

A Baywatch Comedy?
A Baywatch Comedy? External Link

BuzzSugar reports on Paramount's plans to rebirth the iconic TV show as a comedy film.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.