If being a single parent isn't hard enough, imagine raising a child from another planet. This is the problem faced by science-fiction writer David Gordon (John Cusack, 1408) when he decides to adopt a six-year-old boy in the new film Martian Child.
Soon after the death of his wife, David struggles with the idea of adopting a child and starting the family he always wanted.
David's choice isn't made easy when he finds out his hopeful adoptee is little Dennis (Bobby Coleman, Must Love Dogs), a boy who says he's from Mars and spends most of his time in a cardboard box hiding from the sun.
Together, David and Dennis start a relationship that really shines on screen and will make audiences across America fall in love.
The story is an incredible blend of brilliance and originality that will tug at every heartstring. The polar opposites within the film will cause audiences to laugh and cry, making the movie collectively irresistible.
Child is one of Cusack's best performances to date, playing the role of the tentative father to near perfection.
He enables the developing relationship to come to life, transforming this film into something special. Many films have dealt with a single parent trying to raise a child, but few can match Martian Child.
The film is could be called a hybrid of Big Daddy and E.T., a formula that works incredibly well. While Coleman is not yet widely known, he is both talented and adorable, which will undeniably appeal to most audiences.
The pace of the movie is smooth and none of the scenes feel out of place or unnecessary. With running time of just two short hours, the movie has a steady velocity toward its finish line.
Perhaps the most amiable aspect of Martian Child is how the two main characters learn from each other. While Gordon is learning to become a father, Dennis is learning how to become a son.
David teaches Dennis about all kinds of things, from baseball to coffee, while the boy teaches David about being yourself and not what others want you to be.
The boy is so intelligent and artistically talented that Amanda Peet's character calls him "a little Andy Warhol." The sad part is that he harbors the same social skills.
Alongside Peet (The Ex) in the supporting the leads are Joan Cusack (War, Inc.), Oliver Platt (Casanova) and Angelica Houston (Art School Confidential), who each bring a heartwarming presence to the screen.
While staying clear of dull Disney clich?(c)s, this unusual family film is still entertaining. It's pleasant to see that even in a movie industry often flooded by sex and violence, a good clean story can come out of the works.
With the Oscar season already in progress, it will be easy for moviegoers to overlook a film like Martian Child. Yet, it's a feel-good story that is a great date movie. Believe it or not, guys will find themselves emotionally touched right along with the ladies.
However, the film is not flawless, as a couple of questions are left unanswered. Instead they are minor details and are more or less implied.
This does not affect the flow of the story because it doesn't directly involve the relationship between David and Dennis. It seems that more and more movies these days exclude the long drawn-out love relationships between men and women for the sake of the story as a whole.
This works well in the case of Martian Child because it allows viewers to focus on what is most important in the story without conflicting distractions or shying away from the central relationship
Martian Child rises to the top on the warmth spectrum; it inflicts often-forgotten moral teachings on the viewer.
Everyone could use lessons now and again on how to be a parent, and what's more, how to be human. Martian Child opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, Nov. 2.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
