I Am Sam

I Am Sam
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jessie Nelson
Written by	Kristine Johnson Jessie Nelson
Produced by	Jessie Nelson Richard Solomon Edward Zwick Marshall Herskovitz
Starring	Sean Penn Michelle Pfeiffer Dianne Wiest Dakota Fanning Richard Schiff Doug Hutchison Loretta Devine Laura Dern
Cinematography	Elliot Davis
Edited by	Richard Chew
Music by	John Powell
Production company	The Bedford Falls Company
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release date	December 28, 2001 (2001-12-28) (limited) January 25, 2002 (wide)[1]
Running time	132 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$22 million[2]
Box office	$97.8 million[1]

I Am Sam (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2001 American drama film co-written and directed by Jessie Nelson. It stars Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianne Wiest, Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning, Richard Schiff, Loretta Devine and Laura Dern.

Nelson and co-writer Kristine Johnson researched the issues facing adults with intellectual disabilities by visiting the non-profit organization L.A. GOAL (Greater Opportunities for the Advanced Living). They subsequently cast two actors with disabilities, Brad Silverman and Joe Rosenberg, in key roles.^[3] The film's title is derived from the lines "I am Sam / Sam I am" of the book Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, which is included in the movie.

The film received polarized reviews from critics and audiences. It grossed over $97 million at the box office, against a production budget of $22 million.^[1][2] For his role as Sam, Penn was highly acclaimed and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 74th Academy Awards in 2002. The film launched the career of Dakota Fanning and her younger sister Elle Fanning, who were then seven and almost three years old respectively. Dakota Fanning became the youngest person to be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.