Martian Child

Wilsford's Review
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Notable Characters:
John Cusack – David
Bobby Coleman – Dennis
Amanda Peet - Harlee

Plot (contains spoilers): David, a famous and quirky fantasy writer, is coping with the loss of his wife. In his journey to cope, he decides to adopt a child. While hanging out in an orphanage, David finds Dennis, a child who believes that he is from mars. Despite the skeptics that are in charge, the adoption goes through and David and Dennis begin their difficult and awkward journey to come to terms with their lives. In the end David is finally able to let go of the memory of his late wife and love someone else and Dennis is finally able to accept that David isn’t abandoning him and be himself.

Reasons why I didn’t like it:

• Bobby Coleman played his part well but the kid was just too weird. I know he is supposed to be from mars but he was too weird/borderline creepy.
• Amanda Peet served her purpose but I thought that they left her storyline unfinished. Maybe that was the point but I was curious to see what was going to happen between David and Harlee.
  

Reason why I liked it:

• It was just a good movie. It had good characters played by good actors in a good story. It was funny, serious, emotional, and enjoyable.

Final Notes: While this was a movie that I typically wouldn’t choose to see, I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I imagine that this is a movie that any girl would love and if their significant other isn’t a “macho man”, this is a movie that both sexes would enjoy.

Young’s Review

The world can be a cruel place to kids with even the slightest hint of eccentricity. It can be even harder for children from another planet.

This proves to be true in ‘Martian Child’, a touching and funny story of acceptance and transformation that I am giving a ‘thumbs up’.Dennis (Bobby Coleman) is a lonely little boy. He has no friends in the foster care center where he lives and he spends most of his day hiding in a box. He also thinks he is from Mars. His world is rocked when a grieving widower and famous author named David (John Cusack) comes along and befriends him. Despite the objections of his sister Liz (played by John Cusack’s real-life sister Joan), David sets in motion a plan to adopt Dennis.

The relationship between Dennis and David is what makes this film worth watching. The precocious Coleman brings a necessary vulnerability to Dennis. A lesser actor would have caused the film to devolve into a schmaltzy mess. He makes you care about him while keeping you guessing as to whether or not he really is from outer space. Cusack is a versatile performer who rarely disappoints, and his portrayal of David is no exception. He keeps his emotions close to the surface, whether he is laughing about something Dennis did or quietly weeping about his wife’s death.

The rest of the cast, from Amanda Peet as David’s friend Harlee to the social worker Sophie (Sophie Okonedo), is lost in the shuffle. Anjelica Huston, Oliver Platt, and Richard Schiff also appear as David’s publisher, agent and child welfare contact, respectively. Joan Cusack, a fine character actress, does not have much to work in the script but makes the most of her screen time nonetheless. Peet's performance is likable, but like James I felt that her relationship with David was not explored enough.

The film does have its sappy moments, as you would expect. Director Menno Meyjes never lets the sentimentality run rampant, though, mixing in enough light moments to prevent it. The story, which was adapted from David Gerrold’s novel of the same name, makes an important point about accepting people for who they are. All Dennis is looking for is someone to love him just the way he is. After viewing this film, I am guessing viewers will have no problem doing just that.