Adoption and Orphans in the Movies

Whenever Hollywood tries to take on adoption themes we always get a little nervous. Various sitcoms have done episodes featuring Chinese adoption and they show it as a quick and simple process that you decide to do on a whim and the next thing you know you are on a plane to China. We know that is not the case.

There are a couple movies in theatres right now that take on the themes of adoption and orphans. The first is Martian Child, you can see the trailer here. Based on the name of the movie I was ready to be offended. But it seems like the movie may have gotten it right. It is a story starring John Cusack as a single science-fiction writer who adopts a little boy who says he is from Mars. Just based on the trailer it seem like they explore a lot of adoption related themes and approach them appropriately. The movie is based on a novel but they changed some things to make it more Hollywood accessible. Seems like it might be really good.

There is another movie in theaters now called August Rush that takes on the orphan theme. You can see the trailer here. It is a story of two musicians who fall in love, get pregnant and then lose each other and their baby. The mother played by Kerri Russel is tricked into believing that she has lost her child in a car accident but the baby boy is actually sent to an orphanage by her father. The child grows to be a child music prodigy who seems to know his parents want him and are looking for him. He uses his musical talents to reunite with them. Seems like they tie it up with a happy ending.

We're not sure how August Rush portrays the birth parent/orphan theme but we haven't seen it yet so we can't comment. Jen and I usually wait until movies come out on DVD to see them so it may be a while before we see these movies. The critics seemed to have slammed both movies but I don't always trust what they have to say. Would be interested in anyone's thoughts if they have seen either of these movies.