Joshua (2007)

The arrival of a newborn girl causes the gradual disintegration of the Cairn family; particularly for 9-year-old Joshua (Kogan), an eccentric boy whose proper upbringing and refined tastes both take a sinister turn.

Director:

George Ratliff

Writers:

David Gilbert, George Ratliff

Stars:

Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga, Jacob Kogan

5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Rockwell	...	Brad Cairn
Vera Farmiga	...	Abby Cairn
Celia Weston	...	Hazel Cairn
Dallas Roberts	...	Ned Davidoff
Michael McKean	...	Chester Jenkins
Jacob Kogan	...	Joshua Cairn
Nancy Giles	...	Betsy Polsheck
Linda Larkin	...	Ms. Danforth
Alex Draper	...	Stewart Slocum
Stephanie Roth Haberle	...	Pediatrician
Ezra Barnes	...	Fred Solomon
Jodie Markell	...	Ruth Solomon
Rufus Collins	...	Henry Abernathy
Haviland Morris	...	Monique Abernathy
Tom Bloom	...	Joe Cairn

Storyline

The Cairn's life seems to be a harmonic family: The father Brad works as a stockbroker, his wife Abby takes care of their common new-born daughter Lily, and the 9-year-old Joshua is high-talented. But the appearances are deceptive. Joshua becomes gradual jealously, that his parents give the baby more attention than him. Therefore he begins to terrorize his family.

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Plot Keywords:

baby | character name as title | forename as title | newborn | stockbroker | 

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Taglines:

Not all children are innocent.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some disturbing behavior by a child

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official soundtrack site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Devil's Child

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$51,233, 8 July 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$478,492, 5 August 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

ATO Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The role of Joshua's young sibling was played by the real-life newborn sibling of Jacob Kogan.

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Goofs

The video tape Joshua pulls from the drawer to watch is dated 2/29/1997. 1997 was not a leap year.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Soccer Dad: You're playing like a bunch of little girls!
Brad Cairn: [signalling him to chill out]
Soccer Dad: You're playing like a little girl!
Brad Cairn: Good, good hustle. Good hustle!

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Connections

References The Lion King (1994)

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Soundtracks

Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-Flat Major, Op. 26 - Marcia Funebre (Sulla Morte d'un Eroe)
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Nico Muhly

User Reviews

A cartoony mess

Cheesy fight flick tries to bask in the horrific glory which was once Rosemary's Baby and The Omen, but ends up feeling like The Good Son instead. Conceptually, Joshua could have had a lot going for it. Sibling rivalry, which formed the basis of this far-fetched tension, is as good a plot device as any to further the suspense, and at times the darkened bedroom scares elicited from the script do effectively make viewers hold there breath. These moments are so few and far between however, that the inherent comedy beneath this half-baked excursion begins to seep out at an alarming rate, climaxing with one of the worst end scenes in recent memory.

Mainly the scares fail because the lead character, this evil child whom we are supposed to fear, just comes across as silly and unrealistic in nearly every scene. Though his parents might have helped sustain certain scenes a little more (Vera Farmiga in particular stands out as the depressed mother), lead Jacob Kogan is simply unequipped to deliver his role in convincing fashion. From his demeanor to his dress, Joshua is written like a cardboard cutout stereotype of the young eccentric evil genius to a tee, almost always opting for bland, misjudged characterization as opposed to any sort of real personality that might have in fact provided a believable fright.