Pretty Good

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I was one of the few adults who saw Josh and S.A.M. when it first appeared in 1993, attending with a friends 14 year old son. There were only 2 others in the audience, as few were attracted by the awkward marketing of the film. I worked with children in my career as a special ed therapist, and local newspaper reviews of Josh and S.A.M. were rather favorable, so I took a chance. Was I ever surprised! This was one of the best movies about children I had ever seen. While it was mildly funny here and there, it was mostly sad, but not in a bad way. The plot has been thoroughly reviewed by many others on this site, so I'll emphasize the merits of the film. The soundtrack was excellent, and the dialog between Jacob Tierney and Noah Fleiss was complex, but spoken believably throughout, often in a rather quiet manner, which would make younger children tend to tune out. Chris Penn was terrific in a small part playing a man who mistakenly thinks Josh may be his son from an old affair. Martha Plimpton does well as a runaway who resembles a picture on a juice carton that Josh called The Liberty Maid on a flight from Florida to Dallas, trying to convince Sam that she escorts child warriors to safety on an underground railroad. When their road adventure ends and Sam flies back from Canada, leaving Josh temporarily behind, the conversation between Sam and his dad, Steve Tobolowski, is extremely poignant. I admit I tear up rather easily in sentimental moments, but this caught me off guard, and I almost burst into tears. If this type of story appeals to you, male or female, young (over 10) or old or in between, do yourself a favor and buy a used VHS copy of Josh and S.A.M. (Strategically Altered Mutant) It's not what it sounds like. You won't be sorry. This movie really should be released on DVD. It deserves to be seen by a much larger audience.

"Josh and S.A.M." is one of those movies that probably most appeals to the pre-teen crowd, but it's still kind of a neat story. Portraying two brothers (Jacob Tierney and Noah Fleiss) going on a most unusual voyage of self-discovery, they know how to play everything here. It was really neat how the woman (Martha Plimpton) went along with the whole Liberty Maid thing.All in all, I wouldn't be surprised if this movie one day inspires some youngsters to attempt what it portrays. Maybe it's not a masterpiece, but still an interesting look at life. Also starring Stephen Tobolowsky, Joan Allen, Chris Penn, Maury Chaykin, and a young Jake Gyllenhaal.

'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.

but always will see it again. that movie might touch your heart if you have one. while watching i had to laugh. while watching i was even near the edge of some tears.lovely and phantastic. i'd like to be 12 again. well we all can, if we do not forget about the most important of our lives: this is the time when we were children. so take whoever you love, like or find likable, sit close together on the couch and let yourself go like the kids in the movie: they are the real heroes!