Tanka Time: Lost Eden
It's been awhile now...
I've never felt so alone.
What have I become?
A zombie? Unfit to love?
Rotting and covered in blood?
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Cult Classics, His & Her Movies
Martain Child
Posted by Petra · 6 Comments
Martian Child is a romantic drama starring John Cusack (whom I love) as David Gordon, a recently widowed, successful science fiction writer who longs to do something meaningful with his life. What he decides that something is, is to adopt a child.
His sister, played by none other than his real life sister Joan Cusack (whom I also love) is opposed to the idea, being a mother herself, thinking he is taking on more of a task than he realizes. David, not even sure he himself thinks its a good idea, falters, but is eventually won over by the ever allusive Dennis.
Dennis, played by the talented Bobby Coleman, is an abandoned orphan, who has convinced himself he is an alien from Mars. In his mind, he has created an alternate world from which he is here on a mission; a mission to study earth and of all things, the rate at which possessions deteriorate. He takes thousands of pictures, and ultimately steals things (to study of course,) hangs upside down so as to counteract the detrimental effects of earth's weak gravitational pull, wears a "gravity belt" (made of heavy batteries and duct tape so as to prevent himself from floating away), and coats himself in sunscreen since he is "too close to the sun" and fears he will burn up. All these quirks, plus many others, do not scare David, who becomes captivated by Dennis, and sees in the unusual child traits of himself. It is his thinking that they can save each other.
Many critics and viewers alike have trashed this movie, citing that Cusack is lacking in emotion and parental connection with the child. I however felt as though the early detachment was intended, illustrating how both "father" and "son" were too afraid to expose themselves to potential pain as both had been abandoned: David by his wife who died two years previously, and Dennis, who parents had left him for dead.
Yet both tried in their own way to connect, and I saw that ultimately happen - I felt it happen. And to me, that made this a very successful film.
Is this movie without holes? No. As with most movies, there are always holes and questions left unanswered. But I think in some ways, with this movie especially, they are designed to give the viewer reason to believe in the underlying message without tangible evidence the message exists. I know that sounds a little indulgent on my part, but if you see the movie with an open mind, you might find yourself to be a bit indulgent as well.
This movie is definitely a chick flick, and me, being a chick, think its definitely worth watching - to hell with what the critics say.
Critics are just a bunch of stuffy old men anyway.
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