I AM SAM (12, 132mins) Starring Sean Penn, Dakota Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer. Now showing at Cineworld, Swindon

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 (Fanning).

As Lucy approaches her seventh birthday, she begins to intellectually surpass her father and social services demand she is placed in care.

But Sam refuses to give up his daughter without a fight, and enlists the services of attorney Rita Harrison (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.

Sadly, Pfeiffer is too lightweight to carry her pivotal role, and she fails to win any sympathy with her character's own personal problems.

Otherwise, take tissues, you may get through the whole box.

Rating: 6 out of 10