Joshua's Heart (1990)

Joshua's Heart

This is one of the best movies I've seen in a long while. Even though there were sad parts, the ending blew me away. June 14, 2008

Joshua's Heart reached deep inside my heart

I don't write many reviews, but after seeing this movie I had to share how it touched and moved me deeply. It's heartwarming and emotional, and the acting by the young boy who portrayed Joshua moved me to tears more than once. All I can say is if you love a sensitive movie which deals with the human emotion from an adult's perspective as well as the child's, you will definitely want to own this one. As the person before me said in their review, this one is a keeper. April 16, 2008

This Movie Will Bring the Weeps

I would suspect that whoever wrote the story for this movie probably went through this heartbreaking experience themselves. The biological mother, a girlfriend of a philandering father, and a ten-year old boy are those who must deal with the hurt only they can relate to. I'm sure many can identify with the helpless feeling of a former girlfriend who would like to serve as the mother of the boy's father who has decided to ditch her and move on to another girlfriend. Both the boy and would-be step-mother have formed a genuine bond with one another that is now being torn apart. In addition the biological mother would like to reconnect with her son in a more meaningful way. Oh what tangled webs! The title of the movie comes from the father's former girlfriend who has written a book, and changed the title's name to the name of the boy, Joshua, rather than a name she previously chose. In the end she presents him with a copy of the book in remembrance of her. I have ordered a number of movies from Amazon and ended up tossing them in the garbage. This movie is a keeper and one to be viewed over again. It involves a feeling of helplessness one experiences in loving the child of another person, while having no legal claim to them. January 25, 2008

Heartfelt Drama

This is a very engrossing and haunting movie with superb acting. It tackles some very sensitive issues including the emotional attachment and bond that can exist between two people. Claudia (Melissa Gilbert) is a shy and sensitive woman who is swept off her feet by Tom (Tim Matheson), after she meets him with his ten-year old son Joshua (Matthew Lawrence) at the movie theatre. She develops an instant bond with Joshua who is starved for motherly attention as his mother left him when he was 5 years of age. His father is busy with work and he is often left in the care of babysitters. In a whirlwind romance Claudia moves in with Tom and develops a motherly relationship with Joshua. He even spends Christmas with her and her family when Tom can't get back from a business trip, and also helps her with the children's book she is writing and illustrating. The relationship with Tom is not all that she hopes it would be and she soon realizes that he is a selfish person who is not interested in settling down. In fact he has already moved on with another woman. Claudia & Joshua continue to be bonded together even after she moves out, and Claud faces an interesting dilemma. Does she try to adopt Joshua, or does she take a step back and allow him to bond with his real mother who is trying to start over? This is a very good movie, but on a cautionary note, this is not a traditional 'family' movie. The storyline is rather mature and the presence of pre-marital sex and smoking by the major adult characters, may cause many parents to reject this movie for family viewing. Due to the issues presented, I think it is most appropriate for pre-teens to adults. November 19, 2006

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