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Joshua
Metascore
69 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
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  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Duane Byrge
    100
    Superbly crafted psychological thriller.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    83
    Joshua does grow a bit repetitious (it lacks the cathartic climaxes of a horror film), yet it has cool and savvy fun with your fears.
  3. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    83
    There's drama here, and moments of genuine tension, but there's fun, too, which is the point of a movie like this. To Ratliff's credit, he never lets the considerable craft get in the way.
  4. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Gianni Truzzi
    83
    Director George Ratliff plays pitch-perfect on the tautly wound strings of our innermost fears that nothing -- not love, wealth or intelligence -- can protect us from the monsters we harbor.
  5. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    80
    Only viewers with some appreciation for the odd, bloodless character of moneyed family life in New York will really understand how hilarious and deadly accurate this movie is. But then again, New York parents are the last people who will want to see it.
  6. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Jeannette Catsoulis
    80
    Poised self-consciously between art and entertainment, Joshua offers imaginative staging and some superb performances.
  7. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    80
    A creepy-little-kid suspenser decked out with sufficient class to lend it a certain distinction.
  8. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    78
    It should be mandatory viewing for right-to-lifers and prospective parents as well as fans of creepy, crawly filmmaking.
  9. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    75
    To lump in this smart, subtle, deviously effective thriller with "The Omen" or "The Good Son" is neither fair nor entirely accurate.
  10. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    75
    Terrifically sneaky psychological thriller, which takes great pleasure in watching carefully constructed family values come tumbling down.
  11. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    75
    Joshua falls a bit flat at the end, but overall it delivers some genuine old-school chills - something that was missing when Macaulay Culkin played a similar role in "The Good Son."
  12. Premiere
    Reviewed by: Glenn Kenny
    75
    One of the most diabolical things about this psychological thriller is just how open to interpretation it is.
  13. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    75
    First-time director and co-writer George Ratliff skirts, but never quite crosses, the line into absurdity.
  14. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Jamie Tipps
    70
    Even though the story covers familiar ground, it provides enough tension and humor in the presentation to make it worth watching
  15. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ella Taylor
    70
    Part of the fun of Joshua is the skill with which Ratliff juggles horror and realism, feeding one into the other until we become part of the unraveling of the Cairns' perfect life.
  16. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    70
    A nifty psychological thriller--part "Bad Seed," part "Rosemary's Baby"--that deals in a manner both comic and creepy with the parental anxieties of a Manhattan haute yuppie family.
  17. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Carina Chocano
    70
    Seductive and creepy, perfect for a hot summer night when nobody has the energy to pose a lot of questions.
  18. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    70
    Harrowing, controlled and diabolically self-assured, Joshua leaves filmgoers teetering on their own emotional precipice, wondering just where pathos ends and pathology begins.
  19. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    70
    Ratliff fails to deliver on any of these ideas and the ending falters badly, but as horror flicks go this is both smart and suspenseful.
  20. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    63
    A painfully slow psychological thriller.
  21. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Jennie Punter
    63
    Creepy, cool and loaded with style.
  22. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Nathan Rabin
    58
    It's regrettable that Joshua veers into outlandish "Omen/Bad Seed/Good Son" territory when the real terror lies much closer to home.
  23. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    50
    So what's wrong with Joshua? Two things: The audience is ahead of the movie, and the movie never catches up.
  24. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    50
    Joshua is the sort of movie in which nobody does what you would do: like spank or demand an extra-strength time out.
  25. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    50
    The line between eeriness and tedium is fatally fluid.
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.6 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 5 out of 12
  1. Jason
    10
    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.… Full Review »
  2. MichaelL.
    9
    Maybe you need to be a New Yorker to appreciate this subversive, creepy homage to **** 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...… Full Review »
  3. ChadS.
    6
    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?… Full Review »
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