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Title:
Martian Child.
Rating: PG.
Film Companies: New Line Cinema.
Cast: John Cusack (1408, The Ice Harvest, Runaway Jury, Max, High
Fidelity, Must Love Dogs), Amanda Peet (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Syriana,
A Lot Like Love, The Whole Nine Yards, Something's Gotta Give), Bobby Coleman (JAG,
Medium, Dragnet, Surface), Joan Cusack (Working Girl, In & Out, Sixteen Candles,
High Fidelity, Arlington Road), Oliver Platt (Flatliners, Beethoven, The Three Musketeers,
A Time to Kill, Kinsey), Sophie Okonedo (Oliver Twist, Hotel Rwanda, The Jackal),
Richard Schiff (Jurassic Park, Deep Impact, Ray, The West Wing, Civic Duty), Howard
Hesseman (This is Spinal Tap, Flight of the Navigator).
Crew: Menno Meyjes (Director), David Kirschner (Producer), Ed Elbert
(Producer), Corey Sienega (Producer), Seth E. Bass, Jonathan Tolins (Screenwriters,
Co-Producers), David Gerrold (Author, Executive Producer), Tony Emmerich, Mark Kaufman,
Matt Moore, Mike Drake (Executive Producers), Robert Yeoman (Director of Photographry),
Hugo Luczyc-Wyhowski (Production Designer), Bruce Green (Editor), Michael Dennison
(Costume Designer), Luke Ryan (Associate Producer), Aaron Zigman (Music), Mary Gail
Artz (Casting).
Synopsis: Based on the novel by science fiction writer David Gerrold
this film tells the story of David Gordon, a young author who was recently widowed.
David decides to adopt a child and is offered Dennis, a little boy who has adopted
the belief that he is from Mars in order to explain his parent's abandonment. Along
the way David is aided by his sister Liz and potential romantic interest Harlee
in raising the child.
Review: Martian Child is a beautiful film, with a wonderful story,
and a great cast. The technical talent from the production side is nothing to be
passed over either. Its also a family film. It lacks the violence, profanity, or
sex that we have come to expect in films, instead offering a wholesome and whimsical
perspective. There are two minor crudities* and Halee (Amanda Peet) shows off more
skin than necessary**, but aside from this the film is as clean as a babies' bottom.
The film does require a certain type of audience with a certain
type of attitude. It is akin to Little House on the Prairie in its genre and will
attract audiences who enjoy these types of films. There will be no high speed car
chases, sudden plot twists, or climactic court scenes. Its a soft, tender, funny
film about the dedication required of an adoptive parent and the confusing road
one must follow to reach out to a child. So, when you are looking for a tender drama
- here is your answer. It most likely will not hold the attention of young children
or teenage boys, but teenage girls may enjoy it (with a little more work it could
have been a chick flick) and almost certainly married couples will.
Bibliography:
Oliver Platt - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Platt.
Sophie Okonedo - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Okonedo.
Richard Schiff - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Schiff.
Howard Hesseman - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Hesseman.
Notes:
*The term 'bloody' is used once. David (played by John Cusack) makes a unnecessary
but mild comment about a dog's habit of licking itself in the genital region.
**The same sort of skin one can expect to experience on any given day walking through
a store/mall.
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