The movie opens with a flashback with narration to David's (Cusack) childhood. He was the picked on outsider, the lonely kid with an active imagination. He used that imagination to escape into a fantasy world. He took this escape and focused it back on the real world and onto the blank page, feeding his writing career. So, when he meets Dennis when considering adoption, he sees a lot of himself in this child. David wins the boy's trust by offering sunglasses and sunblock, humoring the child's fantasy world. Before long, David has brought Dennis home and is supplying him with his desire for Lucky Charms, humoring his Martian heritage, and tolerating his kleptomania.
The narrative plays out in fairly predictable manner. There are the troubles at school (a scene punctuated by a conveniently placed photo of George W. Bush), problems with the adoption board, and pretty much every other cliche from the family drama. The film is not completely devoid of unique, or at lest fresher, elements. I enjoyed the many hints at Dennis actually being a Martian, and the relationship between David and his dead wife's sister. By the time the climax arrives, we already have a good idea of which way it is going to go. There is a disturbing lack of suspense. This poor writing is evidenced early, during an elongated scene of David waiting for the call that he is approved for the adoption. Are we supposed to feel tension here? Seriously, we all know he is going to get the approval, so get on with it already.
As unsatisfying as the movie turned out to be, John Cusack did an admirable job with what he had to work with. He was very good, taking these words and making us care as much as he did is a testament to what he can do. There is a slightly off-normal quality to Cusack that he plays up very well, delivering a combination of grief, hope, anxiety, anger, genuine joy in just the right balance. You can see that he is still that withdrawn picked upon kid of his past, and he sees that in Dennis. This kinship winds up as the cornerstone of the film. Meanwhile, Bobby Coleman does a good job at bringing an unearthly aura to Dennis. He has an odd way of speaking and reacting, perfectly conveying the character's metaphorical fear of "floating away" and desire to study humanity.
Bottomline. Not nearly as good as I had hoped or wanted. It still manages to deliver an enjoyable experience, even though this final version is a frustrating experience as I truly wanted to like it. Strong performances aside, the script betrays the story potential. In the end I can neither fully recommend nor completely pan. Perhaps a wait for DVD would be the best path?
Mildly Recommended.
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