“The Martian Child”

This week, we watched the movie, The Martian Child (starring John Cusack and Bobby Coleman as Dennis, aka the Martian Child).

We saw a preview of “The Martian Child” a while back, and thought we’d like to see it. What we didn’t know at the time is that it is an adoption-related movie.

The movie opens with David (Cusack), a science fiction writer who’s recently lost his wife, considering the adoption of Dennis, a 6-year-old boy who thinks he’s from Mars. Dennis spends his time at the foster home in a large box because he fears sunlight. He wears a belt of batteries taped together because he fears he will float away due to earth’s weak gravity.

David eventually decides to take Dennis on a trial basis, at first. Once, David asked Dennis, “Why did they send you here? You know, the Martians?” Dennis replied, “To join a family and to learn human beingness.” Another time, Dennis is doing a Martian dance all by himself. David notices and then joins him. After their dance, Dennis says, “Nice talk.” In the movie, Dennis only eats Lucky Charms cereal — I’ve been craving Lucky Charms ever since! 🙂

The movie tells the story of David and Dennis’ journey, in the words of the movie’s tagline, “The story of a man becoming a father … and a boy becoming a son.” The movie is based on a true story. The original novel, The Martian Child, was written by David Gerrold, who wrote about his own story of adopting his son, who believed he was from Mars.

It’s a good movie.

We’re keeping a list of adoption-related movies. Previously, we wrote about Meet the Robinsons.

Also, please let us know (by posting a comment here) if you’ve seen “The Martian Child,” and what you thought about it (or even if you think you might watch it). Also, feel free to suggest other adoption-related movies.

2 thoughts on ““The Martian Child””

  1. Thanks, Jean.

    BTW, I did buy some Lucky Charms yesterday, and have eaten it a couple times since. It’s weird; I don’t usually crave food. 🙂

    I should add, too, that many of my favorite movies are movies that are based on true stories. One of the special features on the DVD talks about the true story behind the movie.

    One other thing — the kid who plays Dennis, the Martian child, did an excellent job with his role.

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