Martian Child

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.

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.

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.

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.