Martian ChildMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Martian Child."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 48 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
10 OK for kids 10+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    An occasionally schmaltzy but likable story of healing and redemption. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Sheri Linden

    Those who stick with Martian Child won't entirely avoid mush, but they will find terrific performances. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Ronnie Scheib

    Knockout performances by John Cusack and child actor Bobby Coleman help legitimize a whimsical but sententiously moralizing script. Read full review

  • 63
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    One soggy slab of sentimental uplift, but it doesn't pretend to be anything else, and there's some honor in that. Read full review

  • 58
    Entertainment Weekly |

    The problem with Martian Child is that it wants to be a story about outcasts, but Dennis doesn't come off as a cute little rebel. Read full review

  • 50
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    The movie leaves no heartstring untugged. It even has a beloved old dog, and you know what happens to beloved old dogs in movies like this. Or if you don't, I don't have the heart to tell you. Read full review

  • 50
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    In drama, and just about everything else, almost is never enough. Which is why Martian Child, about the growing bond between an adult and child, never reaches us. Read full review

  • 30
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    100 percent goo. Read full review

  • 30
    Los Angeles Times | Carina Chocano

    Martian Child would like to be "About a Boy (Who Thinks He's a Martian)", but, disappointingly, it doesn't even come close. Read full review

  • 25
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    It's off in many directions - false in its details, false in its relationships, false in its emotions - but probably the first and worst thing that needs to be said about it is that it's also overlong and dull. Read full review

View more reviews for Martian Child on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 10+ Sweet kid-friendly drama has some mature themes.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that although there's very little in the way of language, sex, and violence in this well-acted family drama, it does deal with some serious themes -- including death (of both humans and pets) and abandonment -- that are on the heavy side for young viewers, who may need guidance understanding what they see. Parents are shown discussing their frustrations with their kids and yelling at them, and kids are shown cruelly teasing a main character and calling him "weird." Some social drinking, but only among adults.
  • Families can talk about being different. Can standing out from the crowd really make you feel like you're from another planet? Kids: Have you ever felt that way? How did you handle it? Is it easier to be more like your peers? Why or why not? How can you stay proud of your individuality if other kids single you out for being different? Families can also discuss why parents and children are often shown at odds in movies. Are they really all that different? In what ways? Why does this subject make great fodder for Hollywood?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: A man reaches out to a young boy on the fringes of society. The child has been abandoned and has chosen to portray himself as different, which only alienates others. But his adopted dad persists, and, in turn, heals from his own tragedy. His family is pretty supportive, too.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: A father and son throw plates around, but not out of anger. The father also loses his temper, though he quickly regains control of it.
  • sex false0 Sex: An awkward-but-sweet kiss.
  • language false0 Language: No swearing, but some insults ("weird," "stupid," etc).
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Some products, such as sunblock and sunglasses, are noted, but in general there's no egregious label-pushing (though Dennis certainly does like his Lucky Charms...).
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some drinking (by adults) in social situations.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dave White

3.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

… lacked most of the usual wet-eyed stuff … Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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