| Penn is actually very good in this role | A mentally handicapped man fights for custody of his 7-year-old daughter and in the process teaches his cold-hearted lawyer the value of love and family |
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| : I mean you're different | She seemed so natural in this role, and I would hope that we see more of her in the years to come |
| A mentally handicapped man fights for custody of his 7-year-old daughter and in the process teaches his cold-hearted lawyer the value of love and family | Sam's difficulties become problematic, and she's taken away |
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| The story of a mentally handicapped man fighting for custody of his seven year old daughter sounded intriguing, but it starred Penn | : Ok, what do you mean? I have to confess off the top that I am not and never have been a particular fan of Sean Penn |
He brings a realism to the character of Sam Dawson, and portrays him sensitively and with real emotion.
| In the process, he teaches her a great deal about love and whether it's really all needed | In fact, I thought the only performance that was better than Penn's came not from Michelle Pfeiffer who disappointed me a bit, actually but rather from little Dakota Fanning as Sam's daughter Lucy |
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| I have no specific criticism to make of him; as an actor he simply doesn't appeal to me | Pfeiffer, on the other hand, as Sam's lawyer Rita Harrison just didn't carry the role off that well, and even the courtroom scenes to me lacked the tension one would have expected from such an emotionally-laden issue |