A boy plays matchmaker for his mother with unfortunate results in this emotional drama. Katie (Nastassja Kinski) is a single mother with more than her share of problems; she drinks too much, smokes too much, and is involved with an abusive man named Curt (Jason Cairns). Katie's 9-year-old son James (Cody Morgan) doesn't get along with Curt, and with Katie usually either busy at work or hitting the bottle, she has little time for him. James becomes friendly with Henry (Robert Forster), a wealthy widower who is fixing up a boat for a trip around the world. James likes Henry, and when Katie finally breaks up with Curt, James tries to fix Henry up with his mother. However, Henry sees Katie's problems more clearly than her son can, and opts to keep his distance from her, which is a crushing blow to James -- especially when Curt comes back into Katie's life. The Magic of Marciano was warmly received in its screening at the 2000 L.A. Independent Film Festival.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide