review for A Child Is Waiting on AllMovie

Produced by Stanley Kramer, A Child Is Waiting is one of his trademark "social problem" pictures. Somewhat dated now, it still is a powerful look at mental illness among children, the best methods of reaching and teaching developmentally challenged individuals, and the role they should play in society. It is also the most mainstream of the films directed by John Cassavetes, and perhaps for this reason -- or perhaps due to the rumored offscreen disagreements between Cassavetes, Kramer, and Burt Lancaster -- it is somewhat uneven, veering close to soap opera and melodrama, and featuring a climax that, while undeniably powerful, also comes across as a bit manipulative. Lancaster and Judy Garland are quite good in traditional "opposites that come to an understanding" roles. Lancaster conveys both the "solid steel," unyielding aspects and underlying warmth of the character, and Garland's vulnerability and underlying unhappiness are used to great effect. Bruce Ritchey is extremely convincing and engaging as the child around whom most of the story revolves. The look of the film is fine, but it isn't distinctive; that would all change with Cassavetes' next directorial effort, Faces.