Jonathan Tolins Movies
Adapted from a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novelette by author David Gerrold, Menno Meyjes's Martian Child stars John Cusack as a widowed science fiction writer who adopts a boy (Bobby Coleman) who claims to be from the Red Planet. The writer believes the child acts strangely in order to process the difficulty he has had in his young life, but soon both he and his sister (Joan Cusack) begin to wonder if the boy might be telling the truth. Amanda Peet co-stars as the woman who becomes a mother figure for the boy. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cusack, Amanda Peet, (more)
Co-written by Jonathan Tolins and based on his original stage play, this Showtime drama concerns the possible role of genetics in determining sexual orientation. Suzanne Gold (Jennifer Beals), a medical-school dropout who manages a clothing store, marries genetic researcher Rob Stein (Jon Tenney), the son of Orthodox Jews who disapprove of what they perceive as their son's meddling with God's prerogatives. When Rob submits his and Suzanne's unborn son to his colleagues' experimental test procedures, the baby appears to have a 90 percent chance of being homosexual. Suzanne confides to her mother, Phyllis (Faye Dunaway), that she fears for the added burden her new family will face. Mom's got a big mouth, and before long Suzanne's father, Walter (Garry Marshall), and gay brother, David (Brendan Fraser), are weighing in with their conflicting opinions about whether or not Suzanne should abort the child and what such an action would mean about David's place in the family. The strain of such a decision ruptures existing fault lines in both the Gold family and Suzanne's marriage, culminating in revelation, transformation, and a group hug. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Beals, Jon Tenney, (more)










