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I Am Sam: A Diagnostic View Mental Retardation and Autistic Spectrum Disorders Advance Psychopathology In the movie I Am Sam, Sam, the main character and the focus of this writing, is a “mentally challenged” father who enlists the aid of an attorney to help him regain custody of his daughter. Sam and his ‘pro bono’ lawyer must demonstrate that his caretaker capacity has not been hindered by his developmental delays. Sam has a circle of friends whom as a result of their developmental delays, are dismissed as character witnesses, but manage to provide Sam with valuable social, psychological, and economic support. However, because of her superior intellect, Annie, his female mentor, is selected to act as a character witness in his defense. She also provides him with parental training, emotional support, and life lessons through an analysis of the lives and music of the Beatles. Sam is employed as a helper at Starbucks where he is not promoted to “coffeemaker” until his abilities are challenged in court. To prove that he can earn enough money to pay for a larger apartment, Sam acquires a number of part-time jobs at local fast food stores, establishes his own dog walking busine