Sam

I saw this on Amazon Prime Movies, and while I'm glad I didn't pay to see this, I am glad it's getting some exposure. I can't think of one aspect of this film that hasn't been done better by earlier films. The exception is the female lead. Natalie Knepp takes what seems like an ambitious student film and gives it professional polish and a genuinely likable character. No easy feat considering the clunky cliches and cartoonish characters. I really don't want to savage this film. It was obviously a passion project for at least some of the folks involved. It's heart is in the right place, even if it does seem like am ambitious student film rom-com that tries but can't get out of its own way. I'm glad I saw it, because it put Ms Knepp on my radar. I haven't been this surprised and impressed by a performer since I first set eyes on Parker Posey in House of Lies. Sam introduced me to Natalie Knepp, whose resume needs to be much larger than it currently is. Still, what other titles I was able to track down confirm my positive first impression. Watch this film with low expectations. It's not as bad as some other reviews claim. It may not be original, or have witty dialog, clever situations and richly drawn characters, but it's not entirely without charms. Notably the fully committed performance and empathetic charisma of its lead. In the end, I'm glad I watched it.

Simple story and very enjoyable. My first time seeing Natalie Knepp. And she was good.

Didn't like it at first, but stick with it-it keeps getting better! The transformation from so-so to good is surprising. Glad I didn't abandon like I was tempted to. It's worth watching. Enjoy!

I've given this movie one more star than I might otherwise have because, despite its flaws, I really enjoyed this one a lot.

The only reason I saw this movie in the first place is because after watching Goodbye Charlie (1964) I wanted to see all the remakes for comparison. I found and watched three true remakes and eight similarly premised movies that I wouldn't call remakes. Of this dozen movies (including the original), I liked Sam the best by far. Natalie Knepp really sold the female version of the main character as a man suddenly in a woman's body. What's more she sold it while making the role likeable. And, she made her basically despicable character extremely amusing and likeable despite her flaws. It was easy to care how things turned out for her. Sein Kleier, Sara Scott, and Brock Harris were particularly good in their roles as well. And, none of the acting was bad. But, Natalie was the true stand-out.

That all being said, I can't help but find fault as well. The office environment, while played for laughs, is unbelievable in this day and age. Seymour and Lulu are just a bit too silly. While Brock Harris had his character pegged, he really needed to have the same hair and eye color as Natalie for one of the plot points to work.

The movie is unrated, but I would mostly call it PG13. Older kids should enjoy it safely. There is some profanity, but it's infrequent compared to a lot of movies.

I happened upon this lovely film by chance and am very glad I did.

Natalie Knepp is absolutely wonderful as the former horrible man turned lovely woman. She is a rising star and I shall be watching her future roles with interest.

All the characters were believable and well played. The story, though done many times before was given a fresh look and just enough empathy to tug the heartstrings.

The usual clichés,though there,were not done to death and the metamorphosis from slug to beautiful butterfly was lovely to watch.

A pretty film indeed.