Cusack’s David Gordon is a successful science-fiction writer and widower who decides to take the plunge and adopt a precocious young boy named Dennis (Coleman). As it turns out, the kid claims to be from Mars, which may help explain some of his eccentricities. At heart, though, this is a father-son story. Anyone who tries to pitch this movie as K-PAX with a child is doing you a real disservice.
Just last week we had another film about a writer and widower father struggling to raise his offspring. And while Steve Carell shares some of the same attributes as Cusack, there is little in Dan in Real Life that gives the impression of a real family. The makeshift clan in Martian Child (which undoubtedly will eventually include love interest Peet) not only feels authentic, but is also based on an autobiographical novel.
The picture is directed by Menno Meyjes, who worked with Cusack once before, on Max. He is primarily still known for serving as Steven Spielberg’s screenwriter for much of the mid-to-late ’80s, including an Oscar nomination for the script of The Color Purple. Like Spielberg, he paints mostly in emotions and imagination.
There is a sense of wonder in this story, which has disappeared more and more from Spielberg’s work as he gets older. In its themes of alienation and acceptance, conformity and self-expression, Martian Child deserves comparisons to E.T. It also harkens back to a time when a live-action, PG-rated movie could be enjoyed by the whole family.
More than a few accusations of schmaltz have already been leveled at the film, but there is nothing in the script or direction that treats the viewer unfairly. Family pets dying and 10-year-olds crying are perfectly natural parts of growing up. If anything, it’s the predictable plot points that prevent this from being a truly exceptional feature.
Good movies, however, are rarely remembered for narrative shifts, but for characters and meaning—anyone who focuses on whether or not Dennis is really a Martian is missing the point. In that respect, Martian Child excels. Cusack retains the rare ability to earn an audience’s sympathy without reaching for it. Meanwhile, Coleman gives such a transparent performance as the damaged Dennis that his wild claims and earnest sentiments come off with equal conviction. If you can’t feel affection for these two, you’re not from this planet.
Martian Child
***
John Cusack, Bobby Coleman, Amanda Peet
Directed by Menno Meyjes
Rated PG
Opens Friday