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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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81 - 100 (sorted by date)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
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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

Martian Child feels artificially sweetened rather than genuinely moving.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
11/01/07
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Sweet kid-friendly drama has some mature themes.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
11/01/07
S. Jhoanna Robledo
S. Jhoanna Robledo
Common Sense Media

[Cusack] just can't seem to conjure up a reservoir of emotions to make Martian Child human.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
11/01/07
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

It's a minor but affectionate flick that knows sometimes all kids seem like they're from Mars, and those without parents don't have much guidance in knowing how to be human.

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
11/01/07
Matt Pais
Matt Pais
Metromix.com

This is, wonderfully, a smart and snappy -- never sappy -- portrait of a budding parent-and-kid romance, and a lovely ode to nonconformity, to being your own person even if the rest of the world has some issues with that.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
11/01/07
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

The whole Ha, ha! Dennis is a young Norman Bates thing gets quite creepy.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
11/01/07
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

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

Coleman ... seems to have been cast not for his chemistry with Cusack but for his adorable lack of key baby teeth.

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
11/01/07
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)

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.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
11/01/07
David Fear
David Fear
Time Out New York

Director Menno Meyjes pulls an engaging film out of the potential claptrap, while also putting across a message about the beauty of nonconformism.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
11/01/07
Jason Ferguson
Jason Ferguson
Orlando Weekly

The title character is far from lovable, but John Cusack's charm is irresistible

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
10/31/07
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

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

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.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
10/31/07
David Germain
David Germain
Associated Press
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Hobbled by its ham-fisted effort to strum our heartstrings.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
10/31/07
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

The problem with Martian Child is that it wants to be a story about outcasts, but Dennis doesn't come off as a cute little rebel.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
10/31/07
Gregory Kirschling
Gregory Kirschling
Entertainment Weekly

Martian Child was directed by Menno Meyjes, who wrote the screenplay for The Color Purple, and written by the distinguished team Jonathan Tolins and Seth Bass. How could so many good people go so wrong?

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
10/31/07
Rex Reed
Rex Reed
New York Observer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

John Cusack's favored co-actors (Oliver Platt, Joan Cusack, and Angelica Huston) add color to a sweet movie that intermittently gets bogged down by poor pacing.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
10/31/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

The only thing that saves it from being a Lifetime movie is Cusack's ever-present charm and personality.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
10/31/07
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

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
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date)
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