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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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Reviews for Martian Child
It's a bit creepy, since [Dennis's] "quirks" are an unaddressed cry for help in this generic tonal mess that switches to light rom-com mode whenever any of its complicated-fatherhood drama starts to get too realistically sobering.
It's a largely dreary time at the movies and offers next to nothing for the kids that it's advertising to.
Maudlin, mawkish, and slightly misunderstood itself, Martian Child is the perfect example of good intentions wrapped in Hollywood-lite logistics.
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.
It's a well-intended psychological drama, but Meyjes is too afraid to permit the film any darkness...a patchy creation, bouncing between sincere questions of homestead stability and fluffy sitcom montages set to ELO hits.
Martian Child would like to be About a Boy (Who Thinks He's a Martian), but, disappointingly, it doesn't even come close.
The quirky allure of Joan Cusack can offset a lot of sentiment in a movie, but even she drowns in the goop of Martian Child.
Apparently, they took the title seriously. It feels so false, you sense it was written, directed and conceived by martians.
A film so cloying it could have been processed from high-fructose corn syrup.
While David imagines other worlds for profit, Martian Child crash-lands on this one.
Menno Meyjes handles this Nick Hornby–esque story like a special Oprah episode. Throw in some muted magical realism, and you’ve got everything you need for a fine performance undercut by banal storytelling.
Cusack and Coleman are on screen together most of the movie, and the fact that they don’t completely overstay their welcome amid the maudlin action says a lot for the restraint they bring to the characters.
Martian Child feels artificially sweetened rather than genuinely moving.
Heartfelt, but uninspired, the film follows a plodding, predictable path that does not deviate for a second from what the viewer expects.
The only thing that saves it from being a Lifetime movie is Cusack's ever-present charm and personality.
The entire cast is fully committed to this squishily sentimental tale, which is especially impressive given that it's the kind of generic dramedy you'll swear you've seen a thousand times before.
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