I AM SAM (12)

Sean Penn was deservedly nominated as Best Actor at this year's Oscars for his incredibly moving performance as a mentally challenged single father in I Am Sam.

His bravura turn, as a gentle soul striving to overcome prejudice and suspicion, anchors the film, and provides an otherwise routine melodrama with a strong emotional heart.

Sam Dawson (Penn) works part-time at a coffee shop to take care of his highly intelligent young daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning).

Next-door neighbour Annie (Dianne Wiest) offers help and support, and occasionally baby-sits, but for the most part, Sam copes on his own.

As Lucy approaches her seventh birthday, she begins to intellectually surpass her father and social services demand she is placed in care, where she will get the love and stimulation she needs.

The girl is placed with foster parents Bill and Randy Carpenter (Will Wallace, Laura Dern), who excitedly welcome Lucy into their home.

Sam refuses to give up his daughter without a fight, however, and he enlists the services of attorney Rita Harrison (Mihelle Pfeiffer) to argue his case in court.

I Am Sam is a showcase for Penn's incredible ability to get beneath the skin of his characters. His portrayal of Sam is so seamless, and painfully honest, that it makes some of the film's more cliched moments far easier to swallow.

Seven-year-old newcomer Fanning is an absolute revelation - you can't tear your eyes off her when she is on screen, and she matches Penn tear for tear.

Refreshingly, she is neither precocious nor winsome, and exudes an ease in front of the camera that belies her years.

Sadly, Pfeiffer is too lightweight to carry her pivotal role, and she fails to win any sympathy with her character's own personal problems. Her inability to shed a single genuine tear during the film's most moving scene is horribly distracting.

The courtroom finale is a showstopper and do take tissues, you may get through the whole box.