The Martian Child has a ton of heart, I’ll give it that. In fact, if movies were graded on “heart” and not “entertainment value” I’d be forced to give this an “A.” Sadly (for Martian Child) we don’t live in that world and if you bore the viewer while not really offering up any semblance of an ending then you’re in trouble on the grade front. That’s where Martian Child stands this weekend — on the precipice of being ignored and then instantly forgotten. It’s bad times all around at the Cusack household.
The story is right there in the title. The kid thinks he’s from Mars. Cusack is a science fiction novelist (quick aside — the reason that so many movies feature writers as the main character is simple, they’re all written by writers). Cusack has also lost his wife, another handy trick if you need your character to be “sad.” He’s wildly successful but is searching for meaning in his life. He’s contacted by an adoption agency to take a look at a kid who spends his days hidden in a cardboard box. That kid is played by Bobby Coleman; his name in the film is Dennis. Dennis is all jacked up (emotionally, he’s not on ‘roids or anything) and Cusack begins the tough job of fatherhood.
So really what we have here is a familial drama. Can Cusack get through to Dennis? Is Dennis really from Mars? Those are essentially where all the tension lies; although not all that effectively. The movie plays out much more like a Lifetime TV drama than a movie that was just dying to be made. The actors do elevate the material, though Joan Cusack as John’s sister is wasted, but it’s just not enough. Somewhere around the middle you start thinking “I hope this has a hell of a payoff,” but it doesn’t.
There is also something wrong I like to call the “Amanda Peet” issue. I call it this because it has lot to do with Amanda Peet. She’s the love interest… or is she? Don’t worry, though everyone in the world knows the score the script tries make that a point of tension too. It’s just so damn cheesy. But really all that would have been okay too if it weren’t for the ending. It just keeps coming back to the ending… or lack thereof.
You see, The Martian Child is built upon a terrible premise. I won’t spoil the ending, that would just be lame, but I’ll hypothetically tackle how you could end a movie like this. The first route would be that the kid is an actual alien. What that would mean is that all the “troubles” he’s had aren’t his fault at all because he’s a damn Martian. Which would make Cusack a jerk for not believing him earlier. The second route is that the kid isn’t an alien. In which case he’s just really messed up. So why not just have a messed up kid as opposed to a wannabe alien kid? The whole point of tension, alien or not alien, also dooms the movie to a poor final act. Which is exactly what happens. It’s all sort of a bummer actually.
So don’t see this unless you’ve got a kid really in to astronomy. Or you’re a Cusack family member. Or if you truly have nothing to do. It’s not terrible, but it’s not near good enough for a couple hours and eight bucks.
