Fine acting dragged down by heavy-handedness in 'Martian Child'
"Martian Child" treats us to gifted, irresistible performances by John Cusack, Joan Cusack and young Bobby Coleman before their domestic drama slides into predictable mire.
Then it climaxes with a pseudo-life-threatening situation requiring a heart-felt speech by John Cusack to make the world all right.
Speaking of the world, young Dennis (Coleman) doesn't think he belongs to ours. With his translucent skin and enlarged ocular orbs, little Dennis resembles an alien entity holed up in a cardboard box, safe from the sun's rays and the human children at his orphanage.
That's where a science-fiction writer named David (Cusack) meets and befriends the lonely, troubled child who believes he's a Martian on a secret mission to study Earthlings.
David's wife has been dead for two years, and his sister Liz (Cusack's real sis Joan) has been pushing the writer to find someone in his life besides his faithful dog.
So has Amanda Peet, who plays Harlee, the conveniently unattached hottie who used to be David's wife's best friend before becoming David's closest confidante. The forced, budding romance between them takes a back seat to David's growing paternal feelings for Dennis, who steals things under the excuse he's collecting Earth items for his mission.
As a stern Children and Family Services bureaucrat (Richard Schiff) clicks his tongue at David's attempts to be pals with Dennis, David's antsy agent (Oliver Platt) pushes the writer to please his profit-motivated publisher (Anjelica Huston) by whipping up a fast sequel to his sci-fi best-seller.
Sentimental and heavy-handed, "Martian Child" constantly preaches the superficial doctrine of "Be yourself" to characters who don't know themselves well enough to tell when they're actually doing that.
Cusack fans anxious to see what this Chicago actor can really do would be wise to wait for his gut-puncher of a drama "Grace is Gone," scheduled for release Dec. 14.
"Martian Child"2 stars out of fourOpens todayJohn Cusack as DavidBobby Coleman as DennisAmanda Peet as HarleeJoan Cusack as LizOliver Platt as JeffWritten by Seth E. Bass and Jonathan Tolins; based on the novella by David Gerrold. Produced by David Kirschner, Corey Sienega and Ed Elbert. Directed by Menno Meyjes. A New Line Cinema release. Rated PG. Running time: 106 minutes.