Review of Joshua (2007) by Patti M — 31 Jul 2015

Unsympathetic characters are ultimately this film's undoing. Of course, you can't expect the evil child character to be likable, and he's not, and I will admit the actor portraying him does a pretty good job.

But his Father is self-absorbed and shallow, and his Mother is either suffering some severe postpartum depression and is taking it out on everyone or is just a vindictive bitch. There's no one to root for, and without that necessary anchor, you find yourself bored and detached.

Two stars for the actor in the title role, but I'd say give this "evil kid" movie a pass. (Fun fact: Vera Farmiga, who plays the Mother, has made a career out of playing the mother to evil children.

Two years later, she adopted pure terror in "Orphan," one of my favorite horror films of the past decade, and is currently the infamous Mrs. Bates, mother of Norman on "Bates Motel." She's really got a knack for this kind of subgenre.

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