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Josh and S.A.M.
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Josh and S.A.M. (1993) More at IMDbPro »

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Josh and S.A.M. (1993) -- text os

Overview

User Rating:
5.2/10   694 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 1% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Billy Weber
Writer (WGA):
Frank Deese (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Josh and S.A.M. on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
24 November 1993 (USA) more
Tagline:
Why run away from home when you can drive?
Plot:
Josh and Sam are two brothers facing change, their mother is about to marry a French accountant and... more | add synopsis
User Comments:
Quirky runaway adventure more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jacob Tierney ... Joshua 'Josh' Whitney

Noah Fleiss ... Samuel 'Sam' 'Killer Sam' Whitney

Martha Plimpton ... Alison (The Liberty Maid)

Stephen Tobolowsky ... Thomas 'Thom' Whitney

Joan Allen ... Caroline Whitney

Chris Penn ... Derek Baxter
Maury Chaykin ... Pizza Man

Ronald Guttman ... Jean-Pierre LaTorette

Udo Kier ... Salon Manager
Sean Baca ... Curtis

Jake Gyllenhaal ... Leon
Anne Lange ... Ellen
Ann Hearn ... Teacher

Christian Clemenson ... Policeman
Allan Arbus ... Businessman on Plane
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Additional Details

Runtime:
96 min | Italy:89 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Harry Caesar's last movie. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The Kotex on Sam's forehead appears and disappears between shots when they are sleeping at the grain elevator, and theb re-appears in the car. more
Quotes:
Josh Whitney: Sam you're a genius!
Sam Whitney: Yeah well it's not my fault. They made me that way.
more
Movie Connections:
References What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) more
Soundtrack:
Hot Mocking Bird more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful:-
Quirky runaway adventure, 21 August 2006
6/10
Author: Mel J from Dundee, Scotland

'Josh and SAM' is an interesting little film that deals with a variety of issues in a manner that draws in the audience and endears them to the characters.

It revolves around two young brothers, twelve-year-old Josh and seven-year-old Sam, who live with their divorced mother. When she goes on intends to marry her fiancé and relocate to France, the boys are shipped to Florida to live with their father Thom. Although he doesn't intend to, Thom can't help but favour the sporty and energetic Sam over his quiet, geeky elder son and things turn even more sour for Josh when he clashes with his stepbrothers and then learns of his mother's plans to leave them. Bitter at the world, Josh tells his brother that he is a 'SAM', a robot child soldier who must escape to Canada before he is shipped to fight in the war-torn depths of Africa. And when Josh thinks he's accidentally killed a man, he puts his plan to runaway into action.

The two young leads, Jacob Tierney as Josh and Noah Fleiss as Sam, give excellent performances despite their ages and relative inexperience in acting. Tierney portrays Josh's anger and jealousy as well as his vulnerability while Fleiss is effective in depicting Sam's naivety and love/hate relationship with his elder brother.

This is a film that is not only a Boys' Own adventure that takes the two brothers across the country but it is one that looks at family relationships (fraternal bonds as well as dysfunctional parenting and the turmoil of step-families) and the coming-of-age of a pre-adolescent who is very insecure in his world. Although 'Josh and SAM' is obviously aimed at a younger demography, I imagine older teens and adults would enjoy it too as I certainly did both when I saw it aged about thirteen and again when I saw it again around twelve years later. It's a film that has something for everyone and is definitely one of the better lesser-known films of the Nineties.

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When will they release a DVD? alistair_deacon-1
Jake Gyllenhaal's part in the movie?! pink_penis_pump
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