Martian Child (2007)

Directed by: Menno Meyjes | 106 minutes | drama, science fiction | Actors: John Cusack, Bobby Coleman, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Joan Cusack, Sophie Okonedo, Richard Schiff, Taya Calicetto, David Kaye, Braxton Bonneville, Samuel Charles, Zak Ludwig, Howard Hesseman, Carmen Moore, Beverley Breuer, David Lewis, Edmond Kato Wong, Suzy Joachim, Anjelica Huston

Every parent will agree: children come from Mars. Just like men, by the way, if we are to believe the literature. At Warner Bros, they thought that was a nice starting point for a movie. Take a widower with latent fatherly feelings and an orphaned boy who does not want to settle in society. Not a puss who tortures hamsters of course, but a disarming lad with a messy head of hair and fun problems. One that claims to be from Mars, spends days in a cardboard box and only eats breakfast cereals of a certain brand (which you can then close a lucrative deal with as a film producer).

Naturally, the young protagonist needs trauma. That’s so beep. All potential foster parents abandon the child. Probably because of those cereals. What a misery! Fortunately, there’s John Cusack, who craves someone to love. He too was once an outsider, but now he writes science fiction. If that’s not proof that everything will work itself out! And sure enough, despite the reservations of his environment, Cusack slowly penetrates the child. How? By playing baseball a lot and unleashing mature wisdom on him. Now some sensitive synthesizer sounds at strategic moments and your romantic drama with SciFi sauce is ready.

“Martian Child” wants to say deep things about parenthood and the universal need to belong, but does so in a superficial way. We all know it’s okay to be eccentric. But what if a child shows really maladaptive behavior? How much do you accept and where do you draw the line? When does eccentric become antisocial? That is a much more interesting question, which is not addressed in the film. The concept of ‘Martian Child’ offers many possibilities, but gets bogged down in cheap sentiment. John Cusack once said in an interview that action movies lie about violence and romantic comedies lie about love. You could say this movie is selling lies about adoption. That does not mean that the film does not contain a single beautiful observation or is never moving. Lies are easier to swallow if there is a sugar layer around it.

Is there anything else positive to say about ‘Martian Child’? Yes it is. John Cusack feels at home in his father role and the interaction between him and his sister Joan sparkles as usual. That does not apply to the chemistry between Cusack and romantic interest Amanda Peet. Peet can shine, we know from other films, but here it doesn’t get any further than a cozy house friend. And the child of Mars? He doesn’t act rude. Bobby Coleman has filled the gap that emerged as Macaulay Culkin came of age. That means you either find him endearing or insufferable. And sometimes both at the same time, just like a real child.