Let's get right out with it: Orphan is ridiculous.
The premise is ridiculous, the storyline is ridiculous, and the twist — oh, the twist — is a thing simultaneously baffling and hilarious. Even the movie posters veer straight into silly, proudly proclaiming "There's Something Wrong With Esther" above the massive head of the titular orphan herself. Well, no duh there's something wrong with Esther, man. Her face is perfectly symmetrical, and everybody who is anybody knows that's just weird.
But for all of its quirky mix of murder and comedy, Orphan manages another distinction: it's the most fun I've had with a horror flick in years. Why? It all comes down to perspective.
Lower your expectations and you'll do just fine. Odd advice, but it's wise knowing exactly what you're getting into here. Orphan's unique subject matter might taste strongly of B-movie shlock, but the package surprises with a budget befitting a far more serious film. The slick production values might even trick you into expecting something more than just another creepy kid flick, so don't be fooled — even with a somewhat slow opening, the film's true color bleeds through before long.
Right off the bat you're introduced to Kate Coleman (Vera Farmiga), a troubled mother of two still haunted by a failed third pregnancy. The wound is clearly fresh, but she seems willing still to go along with husband John's (Peter Sarsgaard) desire to adopt. And so they add fresh-faced but odd little Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) to their family, initially a great match with near-deaf daughter Max (Aryana Engineer). Guitar Hero son Danny (Jimmy Bennett) doesn't take to her at all, one of the few cases where a punk kid's intuition turns out to be startlingly correct.
The cast do a fine job with their roles. Farmiga bridges the gap well between sorrowful, paranoid, and pissed, convincingly portraying a mother put through the wringer from beginning to end of the film. Husband John plays the oblivious card pretty well, and Danny is a sullen teen with the best of them, but leave it to the young ladies to steal the show.
Max is cute as a button every time she pops up on screen, even during the darker moments, and easily the second most compelling reason to skip adoption entirely and make your own curly-haired darlings. The first most compelling reason is Esther herself, very well portrayed by Fuhrman as a creepy little kid with far more than hopscotch on her agenda.
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