REEL CRITICS -- John Depko and Ryan Gilmore

‘Sam’: good performances, flawed story

“I am Sam” is a mixed bag of the movie-making arts. There is some fine

acting done in the service of a very flawed premise.

Michelle Pfeiffer is excellent as Rita, the high-priced lawyer who

interrupts her frenetic life to help the mentally challenged Sam (Sean

Penn) keep his daughter. Dakota Fanning is the second coming of Shirley

Temple as Lucy, the ultra charming 7-year-old girl at the center of the

custody battle.

It’s often difficult to watch Penn’s touching portrayal of a man whose

little girl already has far greater mental abilities than he will ever

have. There are painful moments as Sam’s limitations as a person and a

parent become obvious to Lucy and to the social worker who places Lucy in

a foster home. From this point, the movie sets up the lawyers of social

services to be the villains fighting against the heroic Sam and his

circle of mentally disabled friends.

But to make heroes of Sam and his friends, we are presented with a

completely sanitized Hollywood version of mental retardation. Sam has

learned everything wise and wonderful from the lyrics of Beatles songs,

which play in the background throughout the soundtrack. The mentally

impaired characters offer lots of phony insight and contrived wisdom

designed to convince us that “All You Need is Love” for Sam to

successfully raise his daughter to adulthood.

But the audience knows better. By the end of the movie, many viewers

will be rooting for the foster family to win.

This film also contains a distracting parade of product placement. The

camera constantly lingers on brand name items and corporate logos. On one

level, “I am Sam” is a two-hour infomercial for Starbucks, Burger King,

Pizza Hut, IHOP and numerous other American companies. But at its core,

this movie remains the unrealistic and maudlin tear-jerker that director

Jessie Nelson intended it to be.

“I am Sam” is rated PG-13 for language.

* JOHN DEPKO, 48, is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator

for the Orange County public defender’s office.

‘The Majestic’ too sweet a treat

“The Majestic” is a film about fictional B-movie screenwriter Peter

Appleton, played by Jim Carrey, who is close to getting a chance at the

big time when a strange set of circumstances turn his life upside-down.

With the 1950s Red Scare as a backdrop, the story begins with Appleton

dating a budding starlet and close to signing a contract with a major

movie studio. When he is falsely accused of being a member of the

Communist Party, both his romantic and professional prospects disappear.

Appleton tries to drown his sorrows in alcohol but comes close to

actually drowning when he accidentally drives off a bridge. He washes

ashore with complete memory loss due to a head injury.

He is discovered and taken to the small town of Lawson, where he is

believed to be Luke Trimble, a local World War II hero who was believed

to be dead.

At this point, the movie begins to take on a sappy tone reminiscent of

a Frank Capra film. Frank Darabont, the director of “The Majestic,” who

also wrote and directed “The Green Mile” and “The Shawshank Redemption,”

once again weaves a tale that is driven by quirky characters and

emotional revelations. However, in “The Majestic,” I often felt that the

filmmaker was trying too hard to pull at my heart strings.

Luke’s father, played by Martin Landau, is the owner of the

dilapidated Majestic movie theater. Once the center of entertainment for

the small town, the Majestic closed its doors when the war claimed the

lives of most of the town’s young men, along with the hope and joy of the

community. With Luke’s return, Harry and the town are miraculously

reinvigorated and they all rally together to restore the Majestic and the

happiness that it once symbolized.

Although the story development seemed a little corny to me, I could

not help but think about today’s current events and the Bush

administration’s call for us to get back to living our lives in the wake

of the horror and loss that resulted from the attacks on Sept. 11.

Luke/Peter’s past does eventually come back to haunt him. However,

this being a Capra-esque film, we all know that everything is going to

turn out OK. It is still exciting to see how it all comes about.

“The Majestic” was at times a little too sweet for my palate. However,

if you are looking for a temporary escape from the harshness of the real

world, enjoy this nice story at a matinee or eventually at your local

video store.

“The Majestic” is rated PG for language and mild thematic elements.

* RYAN GILMORE, 27, is a Costa Mesa resident.