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Martian Child

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Martian Child (2007)

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Reviews Counted:102

Fresh:32

Rotten:70

Average Rating:5/10

Consensus: Despite some charms, overt emotional manipulation and an inconsistent tone prevents Martian Child from being the heartfelt dramedy it aspires to be.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for thematic elements and mild language

Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Nov 2, 2007 Wide

Box Office: $7,486,906

Synopsis: After decades of playing single men in romantic comedies from the classic SAY ANYTHING to the critical favorite HIGH FIDELITY, the year 2007 marks a change for John Cusack. With roles as fathers in... After decades of playing single men in romantic comedies from the classic SAY ANYTHING to the critical favorite HIGH FIDELITY, the year 2007 marks a change for John Cusack. With roles as fathers in 1408, GRACE IS GONE, and MARTIAN CHILD, the beloved actor grows up and deserves some of the highest praise of his career. In MARTIAN CHILD, David Gordon (Cusack) is a successful science fiction author, plagued by both the death of his wife and writer's block. When a group home worker (Sophie Okonedo) tries to pair him with a young boy named Dennis (Bobby Coleman), David initially resists. But once David spends time with Dennis, he realizes how special the boy is. The outsider (and sci-fi fan) in David thinks he might just understand Dennis best since the child believes that he's from Mars and he'll return there soon. David and Dennis struggle to create the most unconventional of families, as Dennis strives to learn more about being human. MARTIAN CHILD is a moving drama that works because of the genuine performances of everyone involved, but it rides on both the experienced shoulders of Cusack and those of his young costar, Coleman. Both excel at communicating their characters' isolation and eventual connection, but it's Coleman's work in his first major role that is such a pleasant surprise. Supporting turns from Cusack's sister Joan (who plays his sister in the film) and Amanda Peet add emotional depth to the sweet story. MARTIAN CHILD is based on the autobiographical novel by David Gerrold, who is most famous for writing the STAR TREK fan favorite "The Trouble with Tribbles." [More]

Starring: John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt

Starring: John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Sophie Okonedo, Bobby Coleman, David Kaye, Richard Schiff

Director: Menno Meyjes

Director: Menno Meyjes
Screenwriter: Seth Bass, Jonathan Tolins
Producer: David Kirschner, Ed Elbert, Corey Sienega
Composer: Aaron Zigman
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Release:

Feb 12, 2008

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Reviews for Martian Child

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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Despite the film's laziness and mawkishness, however, Martian Child has some lovely sections.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
11/01/07
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

John Cusack is the only bright spot in an otherwise sentimentally sloppy drama that telegraphs its plot points with a blinding laser beam.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
11/01/07
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

Martian Boy carries off the relationship with winning performances from [John] Cusack and the young [Bobby] Coleman...

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
11/02/07
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Martian Child wants to make us cry. It nearly made me gag. This is an exercise in shameless and inept emotional manipulation.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
11/03/07
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The overriding sappiness keeps killing the so-bad-it's-good buzz.

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
11/01/07
Geoff Berkshire
Geoff Berkshire
Metromix.com

No one in the movie speaks like a real person. Even the youngest cast member talks as if footlights and a proscenium hemmed him in.

Full Review Source: Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) | comment 1 Comment
11/03/07
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

There is something disingenuous and calculating about the work of his director and composer.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
11/02/07
Steven Boone
Steven Boone
Newark Star-Ledger
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

In this abandoned-kid-who-thinks-he’s-an-alien mush-fest, Martian Child doesn’t offer much beyond its small-screen sensibilities.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/03/07
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
Hollywood.com

The credits state that Martian Child stars John Cusack, Amanda Peet and Joan Cusack, but really, it stars Lucky Charms, M&M's and Amazon.com.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment 1 Comment
11/18/07
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

A comedy masterwork that touches the heart with its portrait of the survival tactics of an abandoned orphan and the loving ministrations of a widowed science fiction writer who adopts him.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
10/31/07
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

One soggy slab of sentimental uplift.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
11/02/07
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There are absolutely no surprises as the film disintegrates into its own cutesy display.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
10/31/07
Toddy Burton
Toddy Burton
Austin Chronicle

Heavy-handed sentimentality.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
11/02/07
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

Though it panders shamelessly, it's not entirely unwelcome in a time when the PG movie is an endangered species. [DVD review included.]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
02/03/08
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

if you like these emotionally-brittle family dramas, you'll eat this film up. But for a confirmed cynic like myself, it was torture to sit through the movie

Full Review Source: Film School Rejects | comment Comment
11/02/07
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
Film School Rejects

The film feels lazily conventional. There are truths to be had here, but much of the film still rings false.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
11/02/07
Peter T. Chattaway
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today

Heartfelt pap.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
11/01/07
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

Martian Child would like to be About a Boy (Who Thinks He's a Martian), but, disappointingly, it doesn't even come close.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
11/02/07
Carina Chocano
Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a largely dreary time at the movies and offers next to nothing for the kids that it's advertising to.

Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony | comment Comment
11/01/07
Bill Clark
Bill Clark
FromTheBalcony

A story that has me checking the time, frequently, is telling.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
11/01/07
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
 
 
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