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So, just re-watched "I Am Sam" (2001) (Penn, Pfeiffer)...

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So, just re-watched "I Am Sam" (2001) (Penn, Pfeiffer)...

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Old 01-14-08, 04:34 PM
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So, just re-watched "I Am Sam" (2001) (Penn, Pfeiffer)...

...and just wanted to say what a solid flick it is. It seems to get better every viewing and I notice more things each time. The cinematography is great and Penn's performance is solid, did he get nominated for an oscar that year? If not, he should have.

Also, had one question, after the scene, where Pfeiffer breaks in on Penn and he has the wall of oragami and they have a heart to heart talk do they end up having sex?

It never explains it clearly, but in the next scene they act weird with each other and he calls her "lawyer" and she calls him "Mr. Dawson". Sorry don't know if I need spoilers, if so, I'll add them.

Anybody else love this movie?
Old 01-15-08, 02:45 PM
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Wow, I guess dvd/box office sales must've been through the roof!

Looked up and found that Penn was nominated, but beat by Denzel for training day, never seen it, but was his performance really that good?

Any of the other 96 of you have any thoughts on the movie? Anybody know the answer to the sex question?

Last edited by Duh Vuh Duh; 01-15-08 at 03:06 PM.
Old 01-15-08, 09:47 PM
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I'll be honest, beside the soundtrack, I hated this movie.

Seemed like Penn was trying to do his "Tom Hanks" impression for a little Oscar gold.

Movies about mentally handicapped people are always off-putting to me, espcially when the actor isn't mentally handicapped.

Saxon
Old 01-15-08, 11:09 PM
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Originally Posted by runnersdialzero

Seemed like Penn was trying to do his "Tom Hanks" impression for a little Oscar gold.
It definitely had that vibe, but it didn't hold me back from enjoying it.
Old 01-15-08, 11:12 PM
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Originally Posted by runnersdialzero
I'll be honest, beside the soundtrack, I hated this movie.
That soundtrack of Beatles covers is pretty awesome!
Old 01-15-08, 11:18 PM
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I Am Sorry.
Old 01-16-08, 01:21 AM
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actually I thought it was quite funny how they mixed real actors with actual mentally handicapped actors.

The one scene that really seemed hard was the scene where he's running with the birthday cake and falls (not hitting one step and landing about 3 feet away from the steps) down 4 steps to land on his chest only to get back up and stay in character.

I also got the feeling that they were together... Also alittle suspension of belief.

A hot successful lawyer gets it on with a retard that works at Starbucks - that type of sh!t only happens in hollywood films.
Old 01-16-08, 01:55 AM
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I thought it was all right.

Movies about mentally handicapped people puts me off a bit too and at least with Forrest Gump, there was a ton of history and both relationship and character development. But both movies had the same level of innocence and charm.
Old 01-16-08, 06:51 AM
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I thought this was genuinely one of the worst movies I've ever seen. The writing was so completely godawful that I wanted to shoot myself. Anyone remember when
Spoiler:
Penn is approached by a woman at an IHOP? She asks him if he wants to have some fun, makes no mention of money, he barely says anything, and a cop wanders by and arrests him for SOLICITING A PROSTITUTE! That is the plot point on which the rest of the movie hinges. No one seemed to care that she didn't ask for money, didn't mention sex, and that he was MENTALLY HANDICAPPED and probably didn't know what the fuck she was even talking about!


That was the most obvious and glaring issue, but all the dialogue is so trite and obnoxious. I wanted to throttle almost everyone in the film, and I love Pfeiffer and Penn. The whole thing went beyond inane and into the realm of being insulting. Just because the movie was about the mentally handicapped, doesn't mean it should have looked like it was made by the mentally handicapped.

Oh yeah, and The Beatles covers were almost all terrible.
Old 01-16-08, 07:35 AM
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Originally Posted by Suprmallet

Oh yeah, and The Beatles covers were almost all terrible.
Eddie Vedder's take on You've got to hide your love away is nothing short of amazing. Between him, Sheryl Crow and Sara McLachlan, they carry the album.
Old 01-16-08, 09:17 AM
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Originally Posted by runnersdialzero
Movies about mentally handicapped people are always off-putting to me, espcially when the actor isn't mentally handicapped.
I'm not so sure about Penn.
Old 01-16-08, 09:23 AM
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I think when I first saw the movie I was left kinda perplexed. After talking to a friend he explained that I didnt get the joke:
Me: "What are you talking about?"
Friend: "The joke was that he was retarded. The whole movie. That's the joke. Get it?"
Me: "Hmmm...I guess you're right. I get it now."
Old 01-16-08, 09:24 AM
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Retard movies are my favorite genre, so thumbs up from me!
Old 01-16-08, 09:31 AM
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I don't know. The film wasn't very faithful to the original book by Theodore Geisel.
Old 01-16-08, 11:39 AM
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Thanks for the feedback, looks like I'm in the minority on this one.

Good point Suprmallet on that scene.

Love the soundtrack also, Ben Harper, Vedder have great covers and I also like the Wainright cover. Also, on a soundtrack note, does anybody know where I can legally get a copy of "Golden Slumbers" that doesn't have the drums in it? I just noticed that the version in the movie doesn't have drums, but the version on the soundtrack does have drums.
Old 01-16-08, 11:56 AM
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I love mentally handicapped movies too, but this movie was just retarded. This is one of the worst films i've ever seen. The worst thing about this movie is that I see Sean Penn as this character in every movie I see with him...Dakota Fanning was good in the film, but totally awful unrealistic film. There's no way that he would be working at that level in Starbucks...
Old 01-16-08, 12:12 PM
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Originally Posted by toddly6666
I love mentally handicapped movies too, but this movie was just retarded. This is one of the worst films i've ever seen. The worst thing about this movie is that I see Sean Penn as this character in every movie I see with him...Dakota Fanning was good in the film, but totally awful unrealistic film. There's no way that he would be working at that level in Starbucks...
I trust and pray you were just trying to be funny with that first sentence.

Saxon
Old 01-16-08, 12:54 PM
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Originally Posted by runnersdialzero
I trust and pray you were just trying to be funny with that first sentence.

Saxon
Old 01-16-08, 05:07 PM
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The soundtrack was this movie's saving grace.

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