RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Joshua
Joshua

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
  • Bookmark and Share

Joshua (2007)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
62 %
Tomatometer

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted: 94

Fresh: 58

Rotten:36

Average Rating: 6.2/10

Consensus: Though Joshua is ultimately too formulaic, its intelligence and suspenseful buildup heighten the overall creep factor.

Rated: R

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:2007

Box Office: $442,201

Synopsis: Brad (Sam Rockwell) and Abby Cairn (Vera Farmiga) seem to have it all. A successful Manhattan couple living in a plush uptown apartment, they have just welcomed their second child into the... Brad (Sam Rockwell) and Abby Cairn (Vera Farmiga) seem to have it all. A successful Manhattan couple living in a plush uptown apartment, they have just welcomed their second child into the family--a lovely little girl named Lily. Everything should be golden for the happy family, but their little boy--the nine-year-old Joshua (Jacob Kogan)--is less than pleased with the latest addition to the family. An intelligent but odd little boy, Joshua's lack of humor and preoccupation with death belie his tender age, and as the parents coo over Lily, it becomes clear that they are not quite sure what to make of their stone-faced son. When Lily suddenly turns from a quiet baby into one who mysteriously begins wailing day and night, the Cairns' ordered life quickly disintegrates. The lack of sleep and stress takes a heavy toll on the mentally fragile Abby, and Brad begins racing around the city trying to care for his newborn daughter, ailing wife, and emotionally disturbed son. The family stress mounts, and when small animals and the family dog turn up dead, it doesn't take long before fingers begin pointing at the brooding and bizarre Joshua. Vera Farmiga delivers a realistic and disturbing performance as someone tottering at the edge of emotional collapse, and Sam Rockwell is a true pleasure to watch in his turn as a father desperately trying to hold his life together. Using a slow, teasing pace and claustrophobic camera angles, the film strives for a Hitchockian level of suspense while also delivering many topnotch performances. [More]

Starring: Jacob Kogan, Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga, Celia Weston

Starring: Jacob Kogan, Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga, Celia Weston, Dallas Roberts, Michael McKean

Director: George Ratliff

Director: George Ratliff
Screenwriter: George Ratliff, David Gilbert
Producer: Johnathan Dorfman
Composer: Nico Muhly
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer
    >
    Jacob Kogan & Sam Rockwell
    >
1 - 2 of 2

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Jan 8, 2008

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Joshua

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
05/13/09
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

An absurd and unconvincing fright pic.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
02/24/09
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
NPR.org

The film is the ultimate birth control. If you plan on one day having kids, don't see this film. If you already have children, you will never look at them the same way again.

Full Review Source: BrandonFibbs.com | comment Comment
02/28/08
Brandon Fibbs
BrandonFibbs.com

Ratliff never acknowledges that his audience has likely seen this setup dozens of times before, making the film feel laborious and unsurprising.

Full Review Source: MovieMartyr.com | comment Comment
01/09/08
Jeremy Heilman
MovieMartyr.com

...a bewildering extension rather than a retread of this played-out subgenre.

Full Review Source: Film.com | comment Comment
01/08/08
Mark Bourne
Film.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As horror flicks go this is both smart and suspenseful.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/03/08
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The stress that mounts throughout this strangely tame and quietly spooky horror thriller has a masterfully palpable asphyxiating mood to it that the director exploits for maximum audience discomfort and unrelieved dread.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
12/22/07
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze

The movie's eerie vibe is genuinely disturbing and difficult to shake off. That's a good thing in this genre.

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
09/26/07
Geoff Berkshire
Metromix.com

The creepy child genre hasn't had a movie this much fun in a long time.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
09/06/07
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Bad seed? The whole dang garden is rotten in 'Joshua,' a psychological horror film that demonstrates that the poison apple doesn't fall far from the toxic family tree.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
08/31/07
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Scenes that are meant to be scary end up generating laughs.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
08/30/07
Steve Ramos
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

'Joshua': More than a 'horror film' - a staunchly unforgiving, thoroughly uncomproming look at how a child systematically ruins the lives of his parents

Full Review Source: Passionate Moviegoer | comment Comment
08/22/07
Joe Baltake
Passionate Moviegoer

When the film falters, it's when it pulls its punches and gives us conventional horror that we can hold off at a safe distance, rather than uncomfortable insights that we can unsettlingly recognize from our own household experience.

Full Review Source: Capital Times (Madison, WI) | comment Comment
08/10/07
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)

The nerve-shattering ending will have you hugging your children when you get home - but only if there are witnesses present.

Full Review Source: Film.com | comment Comment
08/03/07
Sean Means
Film.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

run-of-the-mill psychological thriller.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
07/29/07
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

if you strip away all the meddling that Joshua does, it's clear to see the family is dysfunctionally psychopathic from the start

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
07/23/07
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Father and mother no longer know best.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
07/21/07
Susan Tavernetti
Palo Alto Weekly

...certainly succeeds in bringing a fair amount of depth to an admittedly familiar storyline.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
07/20/07
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

It's subtle and it's terrific.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
07/19/07
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
all

Latest News for Joshua

July 16, 2007: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Pottermania Strikes with $330M Global Bow
Hogwarts fans flexed their muscles at the North American box office showing up in droves once again for the extended opening weekend of "Harry Potter and the Order of the... More...

July 08, 2007: Box Office Guru Wrapup: "Transformers" Stomps on Foes To Capture #1 Spot With $152.5M Opening
Optimus Prime and his robot heroes seized the number one spot at the North American box office with an explosive opening for "Transformers" over the extended... More...

July 05, 2007: Critical Consensus: "License" is Revoked, "Transformers" About as Much as Meets the Eye
This week at the movies we have disrupted nuptials ("License to Wed," starring John Krasinski and Mandy Moore) and metamorphisizing robots ("Transformers,"... More...

May 27, 2007: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

See More Topics...

Related Forums for Joshua

Click here to be the first to post a message on this forum.

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
79%
79%
Gran Torino
30%
30%
12 Rounds
23%
23%
Confessions of a Shopa…
—
The Code
39%
39%
Inkheart

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
22%
22%
Push
12%
12%
The Unborn

More New Releases…

RT On Current TV

What’s Hot On RT

Deconstructing Harry

Deconstructing Harry

Pt. 3: Cuaron's darker Prisoner of Azkaban

Best Mockumentaries

Best Mockumentaries

From Borat to Spinal Tap, this one goes to 11

Humpday Clip

Humpday Clip

An exclusive peek at the indie comedy!

Half-Blood Prince

Half-Blood Prince

How good is the 6th Harry Potter?

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: T.J. Hooker Film in Development
40
  • Warners Shortens Green Lantern Wishlist Source: Hollywood Reporter
150
  • Harold Ramis Talks Ghostbusters 3 Source: MakingOf.com
50
  • Spider-Man 4 Gets Its Third Writer Source: Latino Review
60
  • Warners Wins Favorable Ruling in Superman Case Source: Variety
20
  • Remo Williams Rides Again Source: Risky Biz
10
  • Mortal Kombat 3 Filming in September? Source: Slashfilm
82
  • MacGruber Gets a Director Source: Variety
39
  • PG-13 Turns 25 Source: VideoETA
8
  • Weekly Ketchup: Universal Takes on Asteroids
92
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
112
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
67
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
54
  • Total Recall: Mock Docs That Rock
53
  • Tomatometer Watch: How Good is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?
53
  • Critics Consensus: Bruno is Certified Fresh
44
  • Five Favorite Films with Kathryn Bigelow
39
  • RT on DVD: Knowing, Push, The Unborn Unleashed
28
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Brüno Struts To The Top Spot
25
  • Five Favourite Films with Jaime Winstone
20
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • RT Interview: Director Carlos Cuaron on Rudo and Cursi
0
  • RT Interview: Tony Scott on The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
10
  • Cannes 2009: RT Interview - Sally Hawkins on We Want Sex
2
  • RT Interview: Tilda Swinton on Julia
5
  • Hollywood Legend Debbie Reynolds Reflects On her Life in Showbiz
10
  • Exclusive: McG Talks Terminator Salvation
24
  • Georgia Groome - Fresh Talent on RT
5
  • RT Interview: Reading The Reader with Stephen Daldry
11
  • RT Interview: Oscar Nominee Melissa Leo
7
  • Carey Mulligan - Fresh Talent on RT
7
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Joshua at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Joshua at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
Point-Counterpoint: Bruno
Point-Counterpoint: Bruno External Link

MSN's David Fear and Frank Paiva go head to head discussing the pros and cons of Bruno star Sacha Baron Cohen.

The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon External Link

The AV Club's Scott Tobias takes a second look at David Lynch's cult classic, Lost Highway.

Tom Cruise's 10 Best Roles
Tom Cruise's 10 Best Roles External Link

TIME takes us on a 25-year long journey into the superstar's career, giving us a look at his 10 best roles.

A Baywatch Comedy?
A Baywatch Comedy? External Link

BuzzSugar reports on Paramount's plans to rebirth the iconic TV show as a comedy film.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.