Sam is a mentally retarded man fathers a child with a homeless woman who was only usually him so she had a place to sleep. Now Sam who has the IQ of a seven year old is faced with the realities of trying to raise a child on his own. Lucy who was named after a Beatles song the band that Sam takes all his life lessons from is soon smarter than her father. When at the age of seven she decides she doesn’t want to learn if her father can’t also do it she begins to hold herself back in school. This triggers the questions by the school and the authorities if Sam is capable of raising a child. When the courts take Lucy away from his Sam because they see him as unfit to take care of her he decides to fight to get her back. Now without a lot of money nor the smarts to win her back himself he turns to the most unlikely source to help him fight and that is the aid of a cynical lawyer Rita who takes his case pro bono to prove she does take such cases. Now faced with the difficulties of proving he is capable to raise a daughter and only with the aid of a lawyer who doesn’t believe him to be so he must fight the courts and the system that are against him.

Many people might find a problem with this movie because its theme is that all you really need is love when raising a child. Sam many times in the movie struggles with raising Lucy because of his lack of capabilities and she is only seven he is sure to face more troubles in the future that he really isn’t up to handling. But, the movie is still very compelling and enthralling, as you can’t help feel the bond between Sam and Lucy as they tug at your heartstrings with their heartwarming tale of love and overcoming differences. This is the type of movie that would be deemed a tearjerker as it really does make you misty eyed at times. But it also feels quite contrived at times as it is obvious that it is trying to manipulate your emotions with such scenes. Sean Penn who plays Sam at time seemed held back by his character and that because of its limitations he never really reaches the full potential he could have reached. I have to admit that I entered the movie not really knowing what it was about but just hearing a couple people really wanted to see it. I wasn’t disappointed by the movie and am glad I went and saw it. If you are looking for a heartwarming tale then this is a very good movie for it. Although at times the movie can leave you a little uncomfortable as it deals with a touchy and taboo subject at times.
3.5 stars out of 5