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Released
2001 · FILM

I Am Sam

A devoted Starbucks barista with an intellectual disability must outwit a biased legal system and protect his brilliant daughter from losing custody, proving that love and determination can triumph over prejudice.

“Love is all you need.”

Directed by
Jessie Nelson, Andrew Ward
Written by
Kristine Johnson, Jessie Nelson
Rated
MPA · PG-13
Runtime
132 min
Drama

Synopsis

Sam, a neurodivergent man, has a daughter with a homeless woman, who abandons them after they leave the hospital, leaving Sam to raise Lucy alone. As Lucy grows up, Sam's struggles as a parent become increasingly apparent, leading authorities to remove her from his care. Sam persuades high-priced lawyer Rita to take his case on a pro bono basis, and in the process, he teaches her about the value of love and family.

Credits

Actors
Editor
Production Designer
Director of Photography
Writers
Directors

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How many hands made this film

The scale of the collaboration

A crew of 250+ credited

Why a floor?

This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.

Craft leads on file

Edited by Richard ChewShot by Elliot DavisScored by John PowellDesigned by Aaron OsborneSound by Rick AshCostumes by Susie DesantoStunts by Troy Gilbert

Box Office

2001 · Box office

💰 Box-office hit — grossed 4.2× its budget

Why 2.5×?

Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).

Worldwide gross

$92.5M

Budget$22.0M
Worldwide gross$92.5M
break-even (2.5×)

US & Canada: $40.3M — 44% of worldwide · International: $52.2M (56%)

Opening weekend: $42K — 0% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.

Opening week (7-day): $85K — 0% of its US & Canada run.

Peak 2 theaters

Full synopsis

Also known as

  • Ich bin Samde
  • Sam, je suis Samfr
  • Mi chiamo Samit
  • (Bulgarian)Аз съм Сам
Release dates around the world2 countries · show
  • United StatesDec 3, 2001
  • CanadaJan 25, 2002

Companies

ProductionNew Line Cinema, Avery Pix, The Bedford Falls Company

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