Martian Child (2007)

My Review

“Martian Child” is comedy-drama film about a man who adopts a young boy who believes he is from Mars. The child is so convincing that the man starts believing that his son actually is from Mars. Director Menno Meyjes (“Max” 2002) put together quite a sensitive story from a well-written and believable script written by Seth E. Bass and Jonathan Tolins. It was adapted from the 1994 novelette “The Martian Child” by David Gerrold.

The stars of the show are John Cusack and Bobby Coleman as father and son. Solid performances by both really make the film, as they take up most of the screen time. Co-stars include Joan Cusack, Amanda Peet, Sophie Okonedo, Oliver Platt, Richard Schiff, and Howard Hesseman as Dr. Berg.

Despite being a very watchable film, “Martian Child” was not successful in theatrical release for Meradin Zweite Productions and New Line Cinema. Joan Cusack and her brother John Cusack have appeared in ten films together, from “Class” (1983) to “War, Inc.” (2008).