Christina Reviews *Martian Child*

          Martian Child is a predictable story that we've all seen a million times before. Man seeks to add depth to his life by reaching out to a troubled child, only to find out that he's got his work cut out for him.  There are the people in authority who question his "unorthodox" methods of child-raising.  And in the end, man and boy learn some valuable life lessons.

         In the short story, the main character is gay.   In the movie, David (John Cusack) is heterosexual because 1. The story isn't about a gay man.  It's about a man whose wife died tragically not too long ago.  The author just didn't realize this.  2.  How else were they going to fit Amanda Peet's character into the story?   I can't remember Peet's name in the movie.  It doesn't matter what her character's name is.  All that matters is that the character is played by Amanda Peet.  Amanda Peet's character is David's female friend.  And a man cannot have a female friend in a movie unless, on some level, even if it's a totally subconscious one, he wants to jump her bones. To be honest, Amanda Peet's character is barely in the movie and kind of fades into the background once she fulfills her primary duty in the film by acting suspiciously intimate with David.

         This isn't a bad movie. But that's because it's safe.  There are some nice scenes here and there.


        ***Edited 6/5/11***