Movie Review: Martian Child

Taking a standard coming of age narrative involving the relationship between a father and son, Martian Child applies an otherworldly twist, but fails to soar when the soapy drama should blast its audiences off into space.

When a science-fiction writing widower decides to fulfill his late wife's lifelong wish, to adopt a young orphan, David (John Cusack) is matched with a rather apropos choice. Dennis (Bobby Coleman), who spends most of his days under a cardboard box, has a fascinating connection with Cusack; the young boy truly believes he is from another planet. Not only is Cusack thrust into the world of fatherhood, but he must learn to understand and adapt to his Martian child.

Predictably mushy, Martian Child manages to tug on the heart strings right at all the appropriate beats, but it fails to deliver on its imaginative premise. Unlike other films that deal with aliens who walk amongst us, Martian Child teases the imagination, but in the end it never challenges it. In fact if it weren't for the extra-terrestrial spin on things, there wouldn't be much separating the story of Martian Child from your average Lifetime movie.

To make matters worse it looks as if the film was hacked up by New Line to narrow down the already lengthy film. The movie's disjointed opening act is the perfect example of this. It feels extremely choppy when it comes to establishing David's character. However once the picture brings Dennis into the fold, director Menno Meyjes is finally given room to breath, letting the performances carry the otherwise flawed movie.

Cusack's undeniable charm and sensible response to Bobby's eccentricities makes audiences truly believe that there is the slightest chance that this boy could actually be from Mars. Supporting performances from veteran Cusack costars, Joan Cusack and Oliver Platt, also help move along the otherwise generic narrative. Playing the romantic interest, Amanda Peet is predictably adorable, but one has to wonder if the more significant moments of her performance were left on the cutting room floor.