The Martian Child

The Martian Child
Studio: New Line
Rated: PG
Cast: John Cusack, Amanda Peet
Director: Menno Meyjes
WorkNameSort: Martian Child, The
Our Rating: 3.50
In The Martian Child, John Cusack plays a widower who adopts a troublingly oddball kid. While it is sentimental, the film benefits from what Cusack’s character calls “muscular analogies.” The pretense of the movie is far from subtle: A child thoroughly messed up by a life in foster care is convinced he’s from Mars; only Cusack’s genuine, quirky parenting can bring him down to Earth. Director Menno Meyjes pulls an engaging film out of the potential claptrap, while also putting across a message about the beauty of nonconformism. Meyjes, who served as a screenwriter on Empire of the Sun, places a strong emphasis on avoiding obvious dialogue and emoting from his primary characters, which helps elevate the affair beyond the average family-positive sweetness. Cusack delivers a sensitive and nuanced performance as the patient and hip “dad,” while Bobby Coleman does a tremendous job as the kooky kid. On the other hand, Amanda Peet’s role as Cusack’s girlfriend is largely irrelevant and Joan Cusack – as, uh, Cusack’s sister – is disturbingly stilted. The Martian Child is no E.T., but hey, it’s no Gloria, either.

This article appears in Oct 31 – Nov 6, 2007.