As a political and social commentary this film is ridiculous. If it sounds like a retard, looks like a retard and talks like an educated individual, it is not a retard! So the premise on its face is farcical. However, as a dark comedy that the whole family can enjoy, it is spectacular. Sean Penn is so earnest, forthright, and full of wisdom in this film, that we were in hysterics because he really does look and sound like a low IQ, totally handicapped person. But he is deep, perceptive and spews the lines equaling about 110 or 120 IQ. To be cynical about it, though the ACLU has fought for the criminally and legally insane to roam the streets many times and won over and over, the truth is that nothing but disaster has resulted in being this PC.

I've watched quite a few dramatic movies. Im a sucker for anything that can make me really feel for the characters. And never before have I cried for 15 straight minutes during a movie. This film is so wonderfully done and flawlessly tells the story of Sam and his struggle to get his daughter Lucy back. To explain anything further would probably spoil the whole movie, its really just something you have to experience for yourself.

I knew this film was about a man with severe learning difficulties who has a daughter, and I know the leading actor and actress, but I did not realise it got mixed to negative reviews, it was a bit surprising, but I had to see what I thought of it for myself. Basically in Los Angeles, Sam Dawson (Oscar nominated Sean Penn) is a man with autism, a developmental disability, following the abandonment by her mother, a homeless woman who "just needed a place to sleep", he becomes single father to his daughter, Lucy (Dakota Fanning). Despite his limitations, Sam is well-adjusted, with a job working at Starbucks, a supportive group of friends with developmental disabilities, and kind, agoraphobic neighbour Annie (Dianne Wiest) who takes care of Lucy when he cannot. Though Sam provides precocious Lucy with a loving and caring environment, she surpasses his mental ability, he has a mental age of 7, other children tease Lucy having a "retard" as a father, and she is too embarrassed to accept that she is more intellectually advanced than Sam. After Sam's parenting skills come into question and the authorities threaten to take Lucy away from him, Sam is advised by his friends to approach high-powered lawyer Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer). Rita has a reputation as being cold and unfeeling, due to a brusque manner, fast-paced schedule and difficult personal life, to prove to others that she is not heartless, Rita surprisingly agrees to take on Sam's case pro bono. As they work together to secure Sam's parental rights, Sam unwittingly helps Rita with her family problems, including encouraging her to leave her cheating husband and repairing her fractured relationship with her son. Sam and Rita share an emotional moment, both feeling that they have never felt good enough to solve their situations, they sob and hug each other. At the trial, Rita does everything she can to prove that Sam could be a good father to Lucy, but Sam breaks down following the counsel opposition that he is not capable of all responsibilities of being a father. After the trial, Lucy is put in foster care, residing in a home with Randy Carpenter (Laura Dern), who does everything she can to prove herself as her new "parent", while Sam is promoted and finds a new apartment in the neighbourhood. Lucy continually escapes from her room in the middle of the night to go to Sam's apartment, she tries to convince him that they should run away, but he returns her to the foster home each time. Randy realises she cannot give Lucy the same love that she has for Sam, the foster family decide ultimately not to go ahead with adopting Lucy, she will return her to Sam, Randy will tell the judge that Sam is a suitable and better parent for Lucy, they also make an arrangement that Randy will help raise her. The final scene takes place at a soccer game, Sam is refereeing and Lucy is playing, Randy and the foster family, Sam's friends and newly single Rita and her son are watching. Also starring Loretta Devine as Margaret Calgrove, Richard Schiff as Mr. Turner, Brad Allan Silverman as Brad, Mary Steenburgen as Dr. Blake, Joseph Rosenberg as Joe, Stanley DeSantis as Robert, The Green Mile's Doug Hutchison as Ifty and Ken Jenkins as Judge Philip McNeily. Penn is just about passable about the disabled man with a passion for Beatles music, but it is obvious this performance is for vanity, Pfeiffer is a little stereotypical as the lawyer who learns life lessons through helping her innocent client, and Fanning making her big screen debut is alright. You could argue this portrait of mental illness is offensive, inaccurate and even unhelpful, the script is overly sentimental, it is only mildly funny in moments, maybe for the wrong reasons, and it is perhaps a little too long, you could just shun it is Kramer vs. Kramer meets Forrest Gump, or Rain Man, but I went with it, a sort of uncomfortable but not completely awful comedy drama. Adequate!

This film, is a very touching one and shows a lot of values. Sean Penn's performance is very good, also Dakota Fanning's, one of the best performance made by a child a ever seen. I loved all the characters who played Sam's friends, how each one of them is super special and unique in their own way, I have to say that my personal favorite is Ifty, because he loves movies, and I think it was brilliant the way they mention other movies, a very passionate and subtle way. The screenplay is wonderful! There is nothing else to say about it. I have to say that the cinematography is weird though; to dark for this kind of movie, also the position of the cameras is not nice.