Learning Difficulties Major

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Sean Penn is a great actor but he'd be a better help to the audience if he jumped out off the screen and helped them wring out their handkerchiefs.
Sam (Penn) works in a Starbucks cafe as waiter. He is initially shown as having autistic tendencies with his obsessive attention to ordering sachets of sweetener. It is revealed later he has a mental age of seven. His daughter, Lucy, is six years old coming up to seven. And she's an abnormal child. She's always absolutely adorable except when it appears she has told her friends that Sam is not her real father.
In a flashback we see mother and father leaving hospital with their baby and at the bus-stop mum runs off. We learn later she is a homeless person. This is an important explanation since all we see of Sam is as a eunuch.
Naturally Sam has a few problems coping with a child but he has a helpful neighbour and a bunch of friends who always appear to be there when he needs. These friends all appear to have learning disabilities. But that doesn't stop them all being nice, jolly people. You know how it goes.
Sam has been taking Lucy to work with him. Now, I lead a narrow life and I've never been in a Starbucks cafe (despite all the free publicity it gets) but I don't think they allow employees to take their children to work. Or do they make an exception for disabled employees? But now six Lucy is too big to take to work. Isn't she at school, I must have missed something. But surely Starbucks run flexitime allowing employees with children to cope. Oddly there is no sign that Sam is getting any help from social services. It appears they will come into the picture when Sam has a friendly chat to a hooker and gets arrested. But it's the Department of Child and Family Services who contact Lucy's school and he is told by them that Lucy is holding herself back at school so she doesn't race ahead of her 7 year old dad. At this point after surviving so long surely a recommendation in itself father and daughter are separated and he can see her only twice a week for two hours. At least he is told to get a lawyer.
Now after I think it was 40 minutes into the film on strides Michele looking gorgeous as hell but regrettably not the romantic interest for the sore-in-need Sam. It's a bit like for us the audience, he doesn't get to touch.
The rather snooty, up market lawyer doesn't want to know about a low-life like Sam until she's shamed into taking up his case. There's no suspense here but she does give it her all for someone who is getting only $8 an hour. I'm sure Dustin Hoffman's Raymond could work out in a jiffy how many years Sam would have to work to pay her fees. But she's doing it all Pro Bono. The presumption is of course that a highly paid lawyer can do some work for free. She might get a free cup of Starbucks in return.
Now the court process is a bit of a milk shake where you can't guess the flavour. Sam has to see a shrink, a court appointed psychologist, who explains that the normal confidentiality agreement is waived. So the shrink is going to blab everything she is told. But in court the poor thing is reduced to tears by the power-dressed Michele.
Sam's motley group of friends are referees to his character. His daughter is interviewed quite properly in a family room. But the state's lawyer is the big, bad wolf. I mean he's just rude and offensive and if we weren't already rooting for Sam we are now. Of course with Michele he doesn't need our support. But wait she/he loses. Lucy stays with her foster family who actually want to adopt her, who wouldn't and the case goes to appeal. This provides the opportunity for Sam and Michele to socialise more. Her husband has moved out and she has a young son herself whom she has fairly neglected. The film ends with Lucy remaining the foster parents but Sam having more or less unlimited access. And wait for it Michele "worries she has got more out of the relationship."
n.b. Michele is the ageless Mz. Pfeiffer.
This film presents a great subject for discussion. The meat is there but whether it is overdone, underdone or just plain raw is highly disputable.

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