Dream husband John Cusack could star with a houseplant, and the houseplant would get raves for being likable. But hey, he has two movies coming out in which he pulls off an even more difficult feat. In both Martian Child and Grace Is Gone, Cusack plays a single dad. As in, he acts with kids, and the movies aren't wholly reliant on some soccer-field fiasco. The kids—particularly Martian's Bobby Coleman—are beyond all right and so are the movies.
This week's list celebrates movies about children who go beyond, you know, Vin Diesel fussing with a minivan. These are movies made for adults, with adult issues, but relying on kid acting. Did we miss any? You make the call for the number 10 spot in the Comments.
1. Parenthood: Last year, I told Ron Howard this is my favorite movie of his. He was surprised, and he said he doesn't hear it that much. Every kid in Parenthood delivers, but there is a special place in my heart for the nervous-hearted Kevin Buckman (Jasen Fisher). This is a demanding role, as he has to throw tantrums, cry and, most important, be human.
2. The Toy: When Richard Pryor takes to that Wonder Wheel, my soul spins. When Jackie Gleason fails at basic parenting behavior, my soul heaves. But when Scott Schwartz brats it out, sobs, evolves and learns how to have a friend, my soul does one-handed cartwheels. They don't make 'em as risqué and interesting as this 1982 classic anymore.
3. Little Man Tate: In a nicer world, Adam Hann-Byrd would have gotten an Oscar nomination for his performance as a child genius torn between his working-class mom (Jodie Foster) and an enthusiastic learning specialist (Dianne Wiest). The movie wouldn't work without Hann-Byrd's vulnerable face. Oh, when the kids drop his birthday invitations and run from him! Sniff, sniff.
4. Little Miss Sunshine: If you don't wish that Olive (Abigail Breslin) was your little sister or cousin or niece or stepchild, then you need to go to therapy, like, now.
5. Beautiful Girls: Miss Natalie Portman is forever a hero for skating the fine line between kiddie porn and real love back in 1996. Movies are so rarely comfortable with the budding romantic feelings of young girls and unhappy, mixed-up older guys (Timothy Hutton). Big thank you to Ted Demme for making it all work.
6. Magnolia: You might say that P.T. Anderson's ensemble is all about the adults. Take another look, focusing on the stellar plight of young Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman), who loses his bladder control on camera and finally garners the courage to ask his father to be nicer to him. Those books he carries, the weight, he carries it all so well.
7. Welcome to the Dollhouse: Dawn Wiener (aka Wiener Dog) is simply, no contest, the saddest, most compelling leading girl ever. Heather Matarazzo goes to the darkest places, helped along by her impossibly blond, button-nosed little sister Missy (Daria Kalinina). Writer-director Todd Solondz's middle school horror story reaches an impossible balance between black comedy and tear-jerking sorrow. And hey, that's what being in middle school is all about.
8. Man on Fire: Some people think she's creepy. Some wait for her to turn 18 and go haywire. And some just shrug and say the truth: Dakota Fanning has "it," and she has it in spades. She falls for her bodyguard (Denzel Washington), and there's nothing overtly chewing-gum cutesy in a Disney sort of way about their attachment. Which saves Marc Anthony's sinister presence from seeming out of step with the rest of the movie.
9. The Shining: The gold standard of kid acting in adult fare. As Danny Torrance, Danny Lloyd and his tricycle and index finger go on one horrifying, nightmare-inducing journey. It's been said that Stanley Kubrick chose young Danny because of his ability to concentrate. Danny's focus is so intense and so real, it's no wonder he quit making movies soon after.
10. You Tell Me! Oops! I left out Poltergeist! Let me know what else I missed in the Comments section.