'Sam' lacks sincerity

Penn flick hits heartstrings by most superficial means

Sam Dawson, the character played by Sean Penn in the new release "I am Sam," lives in a Beatles world. His apartment is covered with posters of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr, and he named his daughter Lucy Diamond Dawson (after "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds").

His world, like the world the Beatles created before their breakup in 1970, is one where happiness runs high, sentimentality fills the soul and "all you need is love" becomes not a motto but a chant that relieves pressure off the blunders that Sam encounters because of his mental retardation.

Yet his pristine world clashes with brutal modern society when he is told there is absolutely no chance his 7-year-old mentality can take care of his 8-year-old daughter. Sam has no choice but to face reality and try to regain custody of his daughter (Dakota Fanning).

This is the plot of "I am Sam," a story arc that numerous Lifetime and Hallmark television specials have covered before. The film is nothing more than a long custody battle peppered with sweet father-and-daughter moments (reading Dr. Seuss, taking pictures in a photo booth, eating at IHOP) that hit all the right heartstrings but cannot save this average acting vehicle.

Penn plays Sam with the right amount of skill but follows the same troupe of actors who have played handicapped people in the past; there is nothing new to his performance. He is upstaged by Michelle Pfeiffer, Sam's workaholic, pro-bono caseworker who is losing sight of her own family. Pfeiffer is a flurry of frustration; consumed by modern-day stress, she inhabits a world that Sam can not. Laura Dern surprises in her supporting role as Lucy's foster mother.

Ultimately, the most laughs (or embarrassing, politically correct chuckles) come from Sam's group of mentally handicapped friends, a posse of Rainmen and Gumps. Their mussed up hair and curling fingers will be humorous to some not because they have any great one liners, but because they deliver average lines with their childlike linguistics. Are these scenes meant to poke fun or are they desperate attempts for comedic relief? Either way, they provide only superficial humor and are easily forgotten.

"I am Sam" is more of a cover version than an original song. It has a ferocious heart and those ooey-gooey moments of sentimental sweetness, but they aren't enough to save the average execution of the film.