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2001, 132 minutes, Rated M
With a hit soundtrack featuring classic Beatles' covers by Heather Nova, The Black Crowes, Sarah McLachlan, Ben Harper, Nick Cave and more.
Sam Dawson (Sean Penn) is a developmentally disabled adult who has been singularly raising his daughter, Lucy, for all her seven years. Sam provides a fun and loving environment for Lucy, but it soon becomes apparent that she is intellectually surpassing him. When she begins intentionally stunting her own growth so as not to hurt her beloved father, a social worker intervenes, removing Lucy from her home and placing her in foster care. It is not up to the courts to decide if Sam is fit to continue raising Lucy. As the day of the hearing looms, Sam seeks out the aid of self-absorbed, successful lawyer, Rita Harrison, who only agrees to take on Sam's case free of charge to save face with her colleagues. And so it begins: a battle of ove versus ability, the individual against an unbending system. In the centre remains a father and daughter who just want to be together.
Supported by a stellar cast including Michelle Pfeiffer (What Lies Beneath). Dianne West (The Horse Whisperer), Laura Dern (Jurassic Park) and 2001 Screen Actors Guild Best Supporting Actress nominee, Dakota Fanning (Trapped), Sean Penn delivers a heartwrenching and formidable performance more than worthy of his Oscar nomination.
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