Joshua
Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: July 6, 2007
6.2
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 44 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
23
Mixed:
9
Negative:
12
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
0
KevinR.Jul 13, 2007
Do not go! This movie is pointless, stupid and an utter waste of time. I left the theater feeling like I wanted my money back, my time back, my friggin carbon dioxide back! The pace of this movie is glacial and by the time you get to the end Do not go! This movie is pointless, stupid and an utter waste of time. I left the theater feeling like I wanted my money back, my time back, my friggin carbon dioxide back! The pace of this movie is glacial and by the time you get to the end desperately hoping for some kind of payoff to make it seem somewhat worthwhile, the ending is so pathetic that you want to throw things at the screen. Stay away, stay far away.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
hughieJul 17, 2007
Well constructed and well acted.It does require intelligence and patience from the viewer however!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
1
MikeyO.Jul 26, 2007
Don't bother with this movie! Some of the performances are okay, but nothing can overcome a bad script! This film is poorly plotted, uninvolving, and just plain stupid. I saw this dud in a movie theater with exactly three other audience Don't bother with this movie! Some of the performances are okay, but nothing can overcome a bad script! This film is poorly plotted, uninvolving, and just plain stupid. I saw this dud in a movie theater with exactly three other audience members (a hit it's not), and we all groaned when it was over. If you're looking for a good psychological thriller, you're out of luck--this movie was a huge disappointment. I've seen better movies on "Lifetime"!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
helloyouJan 10, 2008
Give it a 10 only to offset some of these very low scores some of the unintelligent viewers have given. Without those I'd give the film about a 7. When you hear a movie about a kid that kills people and outsmarts adults; it's easy Give it a 10 only to offset some of these very low scores some of the unintelligent viewers have given. Without those I'd give the film about a 7. When you hear a movie about a kid that kills people and outsmarts adults; it's easy to scoff at it due to how ridiculous that sounds. However this movie pulls it off with ease by being ambigious with the character of Joshua. You feel sorry for him yet are also repelled by him through characters like Brad, played excellently by Sam Rockwell. He's a man trying to keep his family together but failing miserably due to a newborn, a looney wife off her meds, and a son that feels neglected. The brother of the wife spends a lot of time with Joshua and the boy ends up seeing this man as a father figure rather than his own dad. Joshua wants his dad to neglect him in a sense; "You don't have to love me". It is never clear whether Joshua is the cause of the death around him, orchestrating the demise of his father and the destruction of his not so happy family. The end scene, after Joshua has pulled off his plan, where he sings to the brother is probably the creepiest scene in ANY movie I have ever watched. It sent chills up my body and that can be greatly attested to the actor's (Joshua)performance.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
ChadS.Jan 12, 2008
Ned(Dallas Roberts) knows that mental illness runs in his family, but he stands up for Joshua(Jacob Kogan) after Brad(Sam Rockwell) accuses his son of a vicious attack on a loved one. Abby(Vera Farmiga) has a chemical imbalance, so it would Ned(Dallas Roberts) knows that mental illness runs in his family, but he stands up for Joshua(Jacob Kogan) after Brad(Sam Rockwell) accuses his son of a vicious attack on a loved one. Abby(Vera Farmiga) has a chemical imbalance, so it would be reasonable to believe that Joshua inherited the family curse. The mother's sociopathical behavior almost steals the spotlight from her son. "Joshua" is like "Carrie" in this respect. To bolster his story, Sam should've impressed upon his brother-in-law the incident at Joshua's school and the fate of the family pet. For much of its running time, "Joshua" is a taut psychological drama that never goes overboard by presenting its titular character as being possessed by a demonic spirit. With great subtlety, the movie suggests that the mother may possibly be culpable for a lot of Joshua's problems. Family secrets are kept off-screen. But the movie loses its credibility with me when Brad doesn't emit a sense of revulsion against Joshua if he believes his boy to be a cold-blooded murderer. We also miss Abby, since Farmiga delivers the film's best performance. What's interesting about "Joshua" is our mixed feelings towards the boy. How can he be a pure villian if his parents don't truly love him?… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
SamJ.Jul 11, 2007
How anyone could issue a perfect grade for such a tepid, tedious, underdeveloped and laughably acted piece of junk is beyond belief. A commercial potboiler in the worst sense of the word, and that's a better point.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
1
adamJul 14, 2007
This is a terrible movie. We actually walked out on it. DOn't see it unless you enjoy wasting your money.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
3
DWillyJul 17, 2007
The metacriitic amateur reviewers have this turkey pegged for the disappointment it is as the professionals once again overrate an unscarey movie for how they wish it would have been (see 1408, no wait, don't see it, it stinks!). The The metacriitic amateur reviewers have this turkey pegged for the disappointment it is as the professionals once again overrate an unscarey movie for how they wish it would have been (see 1408, no wait, don't see it, it stinks!). The boy is kept in a buttoned up shirt, often with a tie, ewwww... but, as a robot without motivation of any kind, he's a total bore. Vera Farmiga fails to be compelling before she disappears into a looney bin halfway through, and this leaves the movie in the incapable hands of Sam Rockwell, good at smirking, but a leading man he is not.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
DanielWJul 20, 2007
Anyone who has had children will get cold sweats from the movie's first act. The anxiety-ridden nights in which even silence seems ominous, the fear that there is somehow something "wrong" with a baby who just will not stop crying, and Anyone who has had children will get cold sweats from the movie's first act. The anxiety-ridden nights in which even silence seems ominous, the fear that there is somehow something "wrong" with a baby who just will not stop crying, and the growing suspicion that one will simply not be up to the task -- it's all rendered here in pitch-perfect manner. Unfortunately, a movie cannot survive on mere ambiance, and so the filmmakers introduce a plot that often leads them into absurdity. But they create some genuine flesh-crawling moments along the way.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
JasonDec 31, 2008
After a single viewing, 8 out of 10. given my perspective after a second look, and thought about this film, l consider it an unmitigated masterpiece. while the title character seems at first like a demon, it is soon clear that demons After a single viewing, 8 out of 10. given my perspective after a second look, and thought about this film, l consider it an unmitigated masterpiece. while the title character seems at first like a demon, it is soon clear that demons surround him. I am grateful to the filmmakers for the introspection this film gave me.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
MichaelL.Mar 12, 2008
Maybe you need to be a New Yorker to appreciate this subversive, creepy homage to Hitchcockian subtlety. An indictment of self-involved yuppie parents, the film examines a typical, dysfunctional monied Manhattan family and creates an Maybe you need to be a New Yorker to appreciate this subversive, creepy homage to Hitchcockian subtlety. An indictment of self-involved yuppie parents, the film examines a typical, dysfunctional monied Manhattan family and creates an ambiguous game of "who's the real psychotic?" that plays brilliantly to city dwellers whose line between sanity and paranoia is crossed daily. More of a morality tale about the results of Narcissistic parenting than a "Bad Seed" rip-off (thank God), this is a smart, scary, disturbing little gem filled with terrific performances (Vera Farmiga is brilliant as the medicated mommy, Sam Rockwell is the perfect parody of self-satisfied smarminess) is only for the thinking-person. All others should watch "The Good Son" on DVD...… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
SpongeeeJul 13, 2007
Ah, this movie is pretty depressing. It drags at times and has no real redeeming values except for the music that Joshua plays. Its not much of a thriller and leaves you questioning the screen and almost laughing at the characters. Def not a Ah, this movie is pretty depressing. It drags at times and has no real redeeming values except for the music that Joshua plays. Its not much of a thriller and leaves you questioning the screen and almost laughing at the characters. Def not a date movie...I didn't get laid bc it was friggin depressing.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
ugisupriatnaApr 14, 2014
Joshua is a perfect and smart psychological thriller with kids as the leading role. Not horror, but the tension in this film so dark and thrilled. Slow in story-telling but geniusly sure.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
MattBrady99Mar 21, 2019
A cartoonish mishmash of 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'The Omen'.

Sam Rockwell really is a rough diamond in any uneven movie.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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8
Rcavey92212Apr 14, 2020
It's easy to pass this off as an Omen ripoff but this film, although familiar is actually quite effective and disturbing. It centers around a young boy whose emotionally disconnected from anything that happens and than start to act on awfulIt's easy to pass this off as an Omen ripoff but this film, although familiar is actually quite effective and disturbing. It centers around a young boy whose emotionally disconnected from anything that happens and than start to act on awful impulses. It all starts when his Mom played by a strong Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring). She's had overwhelming depression in the past and feels a more kinship with her new baby. A sexy Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri) stars as the supportive father whose slowly loosing his mind. The movie is psychologically disturbing and quite intense. It's definitely not a film for everyone but if you can stomach the horrific turns it's well worth it.

4.25/5… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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0
EricTutnetNov 29, 2020
Approximately an hour and 45 minutes of my life I’ll never get back and I still have absolutely no idea what the hell I watched. Beware of the positive reviews. I think that mainstream critics give high reviews for convoluted plots that makeApproximately an hour and 45 minutes of my life I’ll never get back and I still have absolutely no idea what the hell I watched. Beware of the positive reviews. I think that mainstream critics give high reviews for convoluted plots that make absolutely no sense. They confuse convoluted nonsense with being complex and deep. This movie is neither complex nor deep. It’s simply stupid… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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