User reviews

Martian Child will be one of those quiet movies that many people won't see. Those who don't see it will miss it. I can understand why it's sitting quiet: not much promotion, and who would it appeal to? There is no CGI, no car chases, no undue violence, only a brief kiss, and the movie isn't partof a trilogy. People who want plot that is not clichéd, and meaningful dialogue will search the movie out. It's aimed at the heart, and touches the emotions. It makes a person realize how important it is to have people in your life who will never, ever, ever, ever give up on you. Even when it looks like you are from Mars. John Cusack is not an actor I am drawn to, yet this movie changed my mind. He has depth, wit, and range I hadn't noticed before. Even if the movie doesn't get wild acclaim, it has a quiet understatement that I hope gets noticed. We all need to belong, and have at least one person believe in us.

I was able to catch this film during a sneak preview a few weeks back. I really had no idea what the film would be about given I hadn't seen many trailers and only knew elements of the story from the synopsis I read of it on Rotten Tomatoes. So I went in with a pretty clean slate.

The film jumps right into things and doesn't really take a lot of pit stops. It charges forward with the story and I think that is the thing I appreciated the most about it. We are not weighted down with too much subplot and extraneous emotional scenes. We are given exactly what we need to form a connection with all the characters.

The film is changed some from the book that it is based on. Mainly that the lead character played by John Cusack is a widower rather than homosexual. In the end, it really doesn't matter the sexuality of the Cusack character, the connection he creates with his son is fantastic to watch develop. They are the same, though different in that one is grounded in reality and the other up in Mars some where. Both are individuals in a world that doesn't want different, the want everyone to do exactly as they are expected to.

Loved the film, will be a definite purchase come DVD time.

While walking with his sister Liz (Joan Cusack) in the park, widower David Gordon (John Cusack) confesses, "I just want my life to have meaning..." I think what David really is talking about is a personal legacy. David is considering adopting Dennis (Bobby Coleman), a strange little boy who spends his days in card board box with cut out holes. Oh yes, and Dennis believes he is from Mars. He is here on earth to study "human being-ness". This is the conceit of Director Menno Meyjes's "Martian Child". The screenplay by Seth Bass and Jonathan Tolins is based on the novel by David Gerrold. "Martian Child" really flew under the movie radar. I had heard about it earlier in the year, and got the gist of the story. Being a fan of John Cusack and Amanda Peete, I was curious to see the "Martian Child". More curious was the lack of fan fare or promotion associated with the movie. "Martian Child" plays much like an independent film, except for its talented named cast. "Martian Child" is reminiscent of "K-Pax" with Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey. Where "K-Pax" crumbled despite noble intentions with its horrendously ambiguous ending, "Martian Child" has a distinct conclusion without the pretense or ambition. "Martian Child" is not a great movie. However, for what it is—it is satisfying. Meyjes's "Martian Child" is a sentimental tear jerker that is so very earnest and sweet. John Cusack is amazing.

John Cusack plays David Gordon, a successful science fiction writer. His best selling book is in production as a big budget Hollywood movie. David's agent Jeff (neurotic Oliver Platt) desperately pleads with David to finish his book sequel draft. Their publisher Mimi (Anjelica Huston) anxiously awaits the draft, so she can throw a coming out party in 6 weeks. That is a little wacky. David's wife and the love of his life died two years ago, and since then much of his life is on hold. He lives in a great home with his dog, Somewhere. David's best friend is the beautiful and radiant Harlee (Amanda Peete)—his wife's sister. This makes for a dicey storyline, given the way things usually evolve in these situations. Amanda Peete is great here. She has a naturalness and ease.

David gets a call from his social worker friend Sophie (Sophie Okonedo). Obviously David has reservations about a boy in a box who thinks he's from Mars. Sophie reassures, "You write about Mars." Thus, the experiment begins. David brings Dennis to his home on a trial basis. Dennis wears sun block and sunglasses to counteract being on a planet closer to the sun than Mars. He also wears a weight belt so as not to float away. And Dennis only eats Lucky Charms—which are magically delicious.

David struggles his way through, and begins to really see Dennis. Dennis reminds him of his younger outsider self. David also starts wondering whether Dennis is really who he says he is following meaningful coincidences at a Cubs baseball game, and Dennis's apparent ability to taste color. This seems like a clumsy narrative device.

What eventually wins over "Martian Child" is the brilliant chemistry between John Cusack and Bobby Coleman. There is an inspired moment when Dennis and David gaze above at the stars. Coleman as Dennis embodies the right awkwardness and innocence. He touchingly asks David "Is it good to be like everyone else?" John Cusack is funny, frustrated and nobly compassionate as David evolves into a caring father. In a moving scene he tells Dennis, "There is nothing you can do to change the way I feel about you…" Cusack commands the story's humanity and underlying strength.

We all want to make a difference in life. And we all want to able to love and be loved—that is what it is to be human. "Martian Child" ultimately celebrates our humanity.

I work in a cinema so I'm in the perfect job not to miss any film releases including minor ones like this film. I call this film a "minor" release because it was not advertised much, just a trailer here and there but it's the type of film that make me happy to work at a cinema otherwise i would have miss out on this little treasure of a film. The story is simple , a lonely widower, also a sci-fi best selling author , adopt a child who lives in a world of his own were he convinced himself that he's a Martian who was sent to earth to study the human race. The child's rather strange, he hates the sun and doesn't smile often. At first the writer he's not sure if he's up to the task to bring up a child with such big issues but little by little he realized that he was the perfect match for the boy. In a world were we have countless film about fart jokes and people getting tortured to death , I found "Martian Child" to be a breath of fresh air. It's a sweet film without being corny. The acting is great all around.John Cusack his wonderful as always but its the young Bobby Coleman who plays Dennis the young boy who's the real star of this film he is great but also likable and god knows how this sort of character could have turned out in the wrong child actor's hands. Joan Cusack bring much of the comic moments in this film and it's nice to see her with her real life brother , I love that woman , she always add something to any film she's in. The most interesting aspect of this film is seeing the character of Dennis progression throughout the film , from a troubled boy to a happy kid , it was really well done. Somme people might found this film "overly sentimental" but I believe it's because we live in a cynical world and a film like Martian child stand out more in a time when we are not used to see a film that doesn't show violence or gross out humor. The main purpose of the film is to introduced us to two character , make us love them and see them grow together and it does a more then decent job at that. I would recommend this film to anyone who has enough of a open mind to accept a film that just wants to grab hold of our heart for 1 hour and 45 minutes. I think this film is a nice little gem and I don't care about all the critics that found it just too sentimental.For the full duration of the film I was interested by the characters and at the end I was happy for them and thats all I ask for a film , that the character are involving.

The book was fantastic! Folks are saying the movie was mushy, but the book was nearly autobiographic of David Gerrold, who is an amazing author. The Martian Child found a fantastic balance of emotion, humor, and a deep investigation of how we can be confounded by something that doesn't fit quite right in our perspective of normal.

Oddly, that is the problem of the movie, as it tries to remove many of the interesting aspects, such as that the father is single and gay, and in fact the task of trying to adopt while not being a heterosexual is almost heroic. While the major component of adopting a behaviorally confounding child is okay for a Saturday morning children's show, Seth Bass and Jonathan Tolins omission of the gay component smacks of the worst kind of censorship because gosh, it may not make as much money, so the movie ends up partial drudge.

I found the interaction with the adopted son very faithful to the book - Bobby Coleman did a great job, and the Cusacks brought their usual amazing abilities that make any film glow. Again I complain of a wasted opportunity to make something extra special. I wish this could be remade with the same actors but a truer adaptation.

David (John Cusack) lost his wife two years ago. He's still struggling with the loss, especially since his wife, Mary, had wanted to adopt a child. Now, David gets the idea that, even though he is single, he will try to make the adoption happen. When he learns of a child named Dennis (Bobby Coleman), David is intrigued. Dennis, an abandoned and abused child, hides in a box and insists he is a Martian child, waiting for his real, alien parents to come and get him. This is a revelation to David, for he, too, was a shy, outcast child who developed elaborate stories, stories that eventually became his bread-and-butter as a leading science fiction writer. But, once Dennis is placed in David's home, the task of "socializing" the little boy enough to satisfy the decrees of the social service agencies becomes daunting. Dennis insists he only can eat Lucky Charms and he steals/borrows from others repeatedly, among other odd behaviors. But, it is painfully obvious that the tiny lad is in a gripping, constant fear that David will abandon him, too. Can David succeed in making Dennis his true son? This is a lovely film, one told with humor and sensitivity. Cusack, a very fine performer, is excellent as the man who opens his heart up to a troubled, scared, discarded-by-others little boy. Coleman is also wonderful as the youngster with a giant imagination. The rest of the cast, Joan Cusack, Howard Hesseman, Amanda Peet, and others fulfill their roles nicely as well. All of the production niceties, such as costumes, sets, and scenery, are more than adequate. Yet, it is the script that is the biggest winner here, laying out a story of bonding, lasting love between a father and a son that can not fail to touch a heart of stone. Do you want to see a film that will bring laughter bubbling up through a dose of tears? March out right now and buy your ticket for the lovely Martian Child.

What would be different about a child from the planet Mars than one born on Earth? No one knows, since for all practical reasons no one has ever meet a Martian Baby. David (John Cusack) a widowed science fiction writer, with writer's block decides to find out, by adopting an unwanted boy. The boy, Dennis, (Bobby Coleman) outwardly acts as if he is a child from our closest celestial neighbor, the planet Mars. David and Dennis appear well suited for each other because they are both living apart from society. David does so by living alone and writing science fiction novels up until the present time of his wife's death, now he is just alone. Dennis, avoids contact with everyone by taking on the guise of the child from Mars, an alien, a stranger, who acts differently than the norm, and therefore society avoids confrontation with what is unusual. This screenplay is adult in nature because it deals with issues that are unpleasant and upsetting. Taking on the responsibility of rearing an unwanted child, alone, having never actually been a parent, and never knowing if the love you give is going to be returned is a huge step! This is a film that will be appreciated by a very small audience. One must first be able to get past self indulgence and reach a certain level of maturity before one can consider taking on the total responsibility of another life form. Director Menno Meyies has created a very strong bond between David and Dennis in their scenes throughout his film. Unfortunately most of the people on this planet will never see their performances. Go out of your way, go alone if you must, but go see the Martian Child. If you are a parent it will remind you of raising your own children, if you are not yet a parent it will remind you of the childhood you had and the experience of raising your own Martian Child yet to come!

I enjoyed this film very much. It touched on so many personal issues -self-worth, identity, need to connect to others through acceptance. Never conforming totally to what is expected of you... preserve the child within and against fear stepping forward to trust.

This film remains focused on the relationship between father and son. The other characters provide a balance of "emotional artwork" and never over shadow or distract from the primary quest. Will this child give up on his fantasy? Will the story take us on a ride? On the surface, this film masks as a typical story of the single parent needing to fill a void so he adopts a young foster child who has social issues. It remains emotionally balanced, yet reaches us in deeper places. We awaken to our core of unconditional love and deep desire to be unlimited in our power. It proves that we all have so much more inside than we ever tap into. A must see.

With John Cusack, I have found great performances and amazing films, as well as movies that left a lot to be desired. This movie was perhaps one of his best films and most satisfying performances since "Say Anything..." in 1989. This film had perfect juxtaposition which is on the same standard as "Little Miss Sunshine." The movie hits you hard, makes you think, and just as it's about to make you cry--something outrageously funny happens and you are laughing too hard to even think of crying. Bobby Coleman is perfect in his role--quirky, poignant, and subtly portrays a character that many children would over-act, giving Dennis the credibility and relatablity that he deserves. His performance is reminiscent of Johnny Depp in "Benny and Joon," and this young boy will win just as many hearts. Both leading actors portray their characters perfectly and work so amazingly well together that their performances are seamless. This movie is one of the best I have seen in a long time. It is truly a work of universal mastery.

David Gordon (John Cusack) was picked on as a kid but is now a successful fantasy writer. He was widowed as they were trying to adopt. As a widowed man, David is given problem child Dennis (Bobby Coleman). Dennis sits in a box hiding from the sun. He eats Lucky Charms, takes Poloroids, steal stuff and thinks he's from Mars. Along with Harlee (Amanda Peet) and his sister Liz (Joan Cusack) who has two rambunctious boys of her own, David tries to bring Dennis out of his shell as Dennis does the same for David. Mr. Lefkowitz (Richard Schiff) from the authorities is concerned about the adoption.

It's a pretty simplistic sentimental movie. It has a few fun moments. It has its heart warming moments. There isn't anything terribly great in this movie. I found the kid's constant quiet voice rather annoying. It doesn't have enough truly funny or surprising moments. It's not a bad movie but it's not out of this world either.

I never read David Gerrold's novel, but clearly the film has fallen victim to cookie-cutter formula. It's more interested in pleasing Hollywood execs than the audience.

A great cast with both Cusacks playing brother and sister and Amanda Peet as the love interest, but with so-so performances. What can you really do with such bad writing anyway?

The film tries hard in telegraphing a human story, yet falls short of its potential. The concept is great, but ultimately the filmmakers should have gone back to the drawing board instead of wasting people's time and money.

I hear the original novel was great. The film however, does not make me want to read it.

Not recommended.

I watch an average of 4 movies a week and this is the best film I have seen this year and makes my top 5 of all time list. This is movie making at its best. Everything could not be better, acting, direction, screenplay, casting, music, everything! As a parent the joys and hard parts of parenting were insightfully, thoughtfully and accurately presented, both humorously and straightforwardly as context required. Sences of joy and heartbreak are both delivered without overstatement. The theme of abandonment struck a strong chord in me that had not been touched for sometime and provided some new and healing insight to an old wound. Thank-you to everybody involved with making this movie, you have just made the world a better place.

Sincerely, Chris Anest

I've read David Gerrold's novelette before I've seen this movie and, frankly, a like it a little better. The movie itself is not bad and describes in a very emotional way the difficulties of both adults and children to fit in, to feel like they belong, to get along with each other. While the movie ends in a typical "let's make the masses feel OK about this", the novelette is more vague and doesn't pass a sentence.

Bottom line: my wife loved it a lot. It is a good movie for families, single parents, adopting parents and women that want children. Maybe even aspiring writers :) To me it seemed a little too slow and long, maybe just because it is based on a novel based on a novelette and it kinda stretches out. I think the part with the parent trying to reach out to other parents for support and information should have remained part of the movie.

John Cusack continues his late-'00s slide in this spacey, whitewashed translation of a semi-fictional novella. Cusack, who never seems to make a film without his sister, plays a moody, depressed sci-fi writer who adopts a similarly introverted six-year-old as a way to move on from an intense personal loss. Following the formula to a tee, the two then struggle to understand each other for the rest of the picture before feeling their way to a generic happy ending, complete with montage. The film halfheartedly drops sporadic hints that the child might be from outer space as he so boldly proclaims, but never seems to completely commit to that direction. Instead, it's content to just lean back into an easy, overplayed routine and let the chips fall where they may. Really, the narration is so passive it's hard to imagine what it does stand for - even the shoehorned introduction of a love interest for Cusack (a heavily criticized change from the novella, in which the narrator is gay) is just lightly dangled across the screen before being tossed aside and forgotten. Bland, faceless and safe, it's family-friendly to a fault.

This film is about a widowed writer adopting a very difficult child. The child insists that he is from Mars, and is reluctant to have human contact.

"Martian Child" is a warm film that celebrates unconditional love. David's love and patience is constantly tested by Dennis' problematic behaviour. Through open communication, love and respect, they open their hearts to each other. Dennis is an adorable and clever character, even at a young age, he deals with rejection by rejecting others. He even makes up an elaborate story to make himself feel better. It is engaging and sad.

Martian Child will very likely entertain but not astound most audiences. The big themes of fitting in and the search for connection, which are well explored territory, are kept in focus by a good script and acting despite the best Hollywood attempts to veer off into hokey predictability.

The characters outside David and Dennis could use a bit more development and some of the scenes could have used a bit more mystery, but the current of the story moves things along. In the screening I saw, there were some embarrassing technical gaffes.

The film builds the right amount of emotional tension to keep things interesting right up to the end, which was well done. A good date movie and one for parents and older children to enjoy.

Martian Child is a unique movie that you will not only find emotional but very true! The movie is intelligent, funny and loving with some of the finest acting from both John Cusack and Bobby Coleman. It is a mix between Big Daddy and K-Pax but without doubt has more intelligence and emotion than those two movies! Both Cusack and Coleman form a bond that is so strong and loving, you actually shed tears throughout the movie! It is a great film and i am sure that when it is release it will do well at the box office like all of Cusacks movies! Its a feel good piece of art and one of the best of the year! The movie will make you want to hold your children and enjoy life, it has a Disney feel but is so intelligent that you admire the director and the actors.

I enjoyed the story about the man taking in the little boy who claimed to be from Mars. I liked the way it developed--maybe the child could actually be from Mars? The progression of the relationship between the man and boy was good. The acting was mostly fine.

Just about everything else was poor. It seemed cheap and amateurish. Lighting was often too bright. Sets were unattractive. Pacing was a problem. There were several times when I wanted to have a nap (which is not normal for me!) because there wasn't anything interesting happening. I remained attentive in case something important might happen, but it didn't. I left the theater feeling it had been mostly a waste of my time and money.

Humor and heart blend well in MARTIAN CHILD (MaCh), adapted by Seth Bass and Jonathan Tolins from science fiction writer David Gerrold's real-life story (except that gay David Gerrold is portrayed here as straight widower David Gordon) of adopting a little boy who'd been mistreated and abandoned so many times, he'd come to believe he was from Mars. As funny and winsome as it is poignant, MaCh is one of the few films about an unconventional family life that doesn't pile on eccentricity for eccentricity's own sake, showing that it's possible to build a happy life and learn to love others despite the personal flaws and developmental/emotional issues of everyone involved. I loved the rapport and chemistry between David and his adopted son Dennis, portrayed endearingly by the ever-appealing John Cusack (reuniting with his MAX director Menno Meyjes) and young Bobby Coleman. It made me think of the scene in GROSSE POINTE BLANK with Cusack's Martin Blank holding a baby, looking at it with this delightful mixture of puzzlement and wonder. (Could that baby have grown up to be Dennis? :-)). The life of a science fiction writer gets some good-natured ribbing, too, in scenes where David has to deal with his agent (Oliver Platt, reuniting with Cusack after his scene-stealing turn in THE ICE HARVEST. Now that Cusack's longtime bud and co-star Jeremy Piven has a steady gig with TV's ENTOURAGE, has Platt become Cusack's new Piven? :-)) and his publisher (I won't spoil the wonderful cameo). Joan Cusack also turns up to provide able support for her bro as David's married sister, full of harried yet sage advice: "The thing about kids is, they keep coming at you." In fact, her family scenes often cracked me up, like her admonishment to her rambunctious boys (or as she affectionately calls them, "Omen One and Omen Two"): "Get off that dog! He's 200 years old in human years. Would you do that to Grandma?" I loved her husband's attitude: "Hey, all kids are from Mars. At least your kid admits it." Although MaCh takes time to have fun even when things get serious (loved David and Dennis's Martian walk/dance to the Guster song "Satellite") and is generally upbeat, with quite a bit of gentle humor, it doesn't shy away from showing the difficulties of adopting an emotionally scarred child, with the frustration and sadness inherent in such a situation. Having adopted our niece after my mother-in-law died, I can tell you from personal experience that picking up in the middle of raising somebody else's child is a challenge even in the best of circumstances, and MaCh captures this aspect well. It also shows that parents, especially those of us raising kids with special needs, often walk a fine line between accommodating a kid's genuine needs and being overly if well-meaningly indulgent. We've adapted David's advice to Dennis for our own child, who was diagnosed with ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome: "When you're at home, it's okay to be from Mars. But when you're out in the world, you have to follow Earth rules." Perhaps you have to have experience in these kind of family situations to best appreciate MaCh (I've noticed that real-life parents tend to appreciate it more than, say, professional film critics :-)). MARTIAN CHILD should be required viewing for unconventional parents of children with emotional or developmental issues and other serious problems. By the way, when I saw MaCh in our local multiplex, there were a number of parents seeing the film with kids (not tiny tykes, but elementary school age and older), and they all seemed to enjoy it, too.

This is a tough movie to rate. Hundreds of people have discussed the plot points here, so I'll just elaborate on my "confusion".

I am a huge fan of John Cusack, in fact, I believe him to be one of our finest actors. It was a pleasure to see him escape those recent romantic comedies he has been trapped in. His performance here is one of the main reasons the movie was watchable. He has that knack of making the dialogue sound like it flows naturally, and some of the dialogue was tough to swallow. The young boy in the movie was excellent, balancing his creepy persona with a wounded sensitivity. We feel his pain from prior abandonment, but are frustrated by his inability to return to "normal". Its a fine line to tread and he performed it admirably.. Joan Cusack, the most reliable sidekick in movies today, is at her quirky best, and Amanda Peet tends to light up any movie she is in.

So, all that said...... this just didn't quite connect. While I did have a "lump" in my throat at the finish, the journey to there was a rocky one. The entertainment value of watching John's character talk as an "adult" for long stretches to an unresponsive, wounded child, was mostly uncomfortable. The "crashing and squirting" scene felt especially false. This is "based on a true story", so I'll assume some of the parenting and break thru info displayed here may have happened, but I'm guessing it was heavily fictionalized.

I would have trouble recommending this movie, but felt is was very well acted and its story clearly has merit. To watch two lost and hurt people connect is uplifting. Wish I liked it more!

I really wanted to like this movie, but images of K-Pax still lingered in my head and so I warily walked into the movie hoping for the best. Sure enough, there is a lot of good in the movie. The acting standard all around is high although the script did not lend much to Amanda Peet's character. Bobby Coleman, in particular, shines as a child who must be both eccentric and yet connect with the audience. The script has some clever moments, but a lot has been done before and been better handled and a couple of points in the movie drag. In spite of this, I was really looking forward to see how the whole story would turn out, and I am sad to say it left me hanging. Not so much plot-wise, but certainly emotionally and it's then the clichés that were masked by some good acting and direction reveal themselves. I'll put it this way. The whole audience remained in the seats for a full 30 seconds when the credits rolling desperately blinking and thinking, "That's it?"

In conclusion, this is a lighthearted movie with great potential that falls flat on the last laps.

As a father/parent with five kids, I highly recommend all guardians of life see Martian Child. I'm personally a better person and have expanded my acceptance of others self-expression. We should all find, our voices and release the Martian Child within us. This is a special singular film in this CGI era. (FYI: I love CGI.) Martian Child balances out product driven entertainment with straight, direct to the soul, honest entertainment. This film has given me, the gift to give my own children much more room to be free, self-expressed and accepted exactly the way they are, and the way they are not. My wife is also enjoying the benefits. If they only knew, I'm simply seeing them as my Martian Child. See it, and find your inner Martian. Luis Moro, Never hide.

I was thrilled to see David Gerrold's heart-wrenching novel "The Martian Child" was being made into a movie, with John and Joan Cusack (both hugely talented actors) and Amanda Peet (who was no less than dazzling in Studio 60). Who wouldn't be?

But leave it to Hollywood to take a good thing and ruin it entirely. The core of the book was the idea that a gay man adopts a young boy who thinks he's a martian. The identity of the father and the son are inextricably linked to their backgrounds (one as a gay man and the other as a neglected child).

Hollywood's decision to "clean the novel up" by making the protagonist a straight man who has lost his wife has mutilated this story. What you see know is a steaming pile of mediocre Hollywood schlock. Too bad America has to have its literature "cleaned" before it can be viewed by movie goers. Why don't we just burn the books instead?

This movie is disgusting and pathetic.