MARTIAN CHILD **½

Directed by a relatively new director, Menno Meyjes, this film stars John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Sophie Okonedo, Bobby Coleman, and Joan Cusack. The film is one hour and fifty minutes long and is rated PG for thematic elements and mild language.

Cusack is a lonely, widowed sci-fi writer who, against the wishes of his practical sister, Joan Cusack, decides to adopt a little boy, Coleman, who thinks he's a Martian. Having been a strange loner as a child, Cusack is more understanding than most and soon bonds with the child. He's helped in this task by his sister and by Peet, a friend of his as well as his late wife. During this time he's trying to finish another novel, encouraged by his friend and agent, Platt, and making sure he has the approval of the social workers who must approve the adoption.

This is a film some will love and some will hate. The plot is weak and contrived but has a sweetness to it many will appreciate, especially women. The acting is first rate, especially John Cusack and Bobby Coleman, although the role Coleman must play makes him hard to relate to. The rest of the cast doesn't have that much to do which is especially unfortunate in the case of Peet, who lights up the screen in her woefully few appearances. Families who attend with their children may find the film sparks some inter family dialog but most others will find the proceedings a little too strange to be enjoyable.