Review of Martian Child (2007) by Danielle U — 15 May 2009

I love John Cusack. He does movies that have a deeper meaning to them, sans 1408. He was snubbed for Grace is Gone, and generally like his movies. Subtle roles like this, in a film that is geared more towards the family than you might think, bring out the best in him. He's an underrated dramatic actor. Although this movie doesn't allow him to show his full range, he does a good job as a recent widower who adopts an young boy, who thinks he's a martian.

I can relate to the little boy, and it's eerie how jubilant the kid is in real life compared to the movie. To give you an example of the movie being geared towards families, there is a 27 minute featurette on the DVD on just how the kid had to adjust to the pressures of being in a movie. This comes complete with clown music when he does anything remotely silly.

For anybody looking for a heartwarming story, rent this. If you're looking for smart, bad ass Cusack, rent High Fidelity. Either way, he's awesome.