Joshua

Right up there w/ Jesus Revolution. Captivating. Extrodinary acting.

I love the message this movie provides, especially when our world is so divided. It brought tears to my eyes with the message of LOVE as our Lord intended. I would like to purchase it if the movie becomes available.

I read a few of the reviews after I watched the movie to see if their concerns were the same as mine. Maybe, maybe not. I thought the acting was decent, and the writing was thought-provoking. The fact that Joshua helped rebuild a church building is not the focus -- it is about the way the community pulled together to help -- a community that had been living next to each other, but not with each other.Also, one reviewer suggested that Joshua led a woman on and the "rebuffed" her. I think Joshua was not meant to have been portrayed as leading the woman on -- though I think maybe the touching may have been a little too suggestive of that, so I can see how someone might think that. The idea, perhaps, was that Joshua was willing to get close to people, which could sometimes be misconstrued as something other than friendship. In the bible, Jesus is portrayed as getting close to people and taking some flak over it, but maybe the film could have taken a different tack on that point.When Joshua healed people, he appeared to get weaker. I think this was intended to contrast the character to modern day "faith healing" where the healed person falls over and becomes catatonic. Maybe the writer was thinking about the instance when a woman touched Jesus' robe and Jesus felt the power go out of him. However, the point may have been a little overdone in the film; after all, Jesus sometimes healed many people in a day, but if he felt as weak as Joshua did in the movie, he would have been worthless. Still -- it does suggest another important point: the need to rely on God for strength on a daily basis. Helping people cannot merely be accomplished out of the goodness of our hearts -- we need the power of God to lead people to true repentance.I appreciate the use of different kinds of churches to show that God can work in any situation. On one hand, there is the Baptist church, where people come together to help put their building back together. And there is the Catholic parish, where legalistic ideas have to be confronted. The movie is silent on the idea that the two congregations continue to meet separately; I'm not sure what I think about that, personally, but the movie seems to suggest that how we worship on Sunday is our own choice, but how we live in our world throughout the week is, perhaps, more important -- loving others as Jesus loves us, regardless of our particular denominational affiliation. In both cases, it took more than human effort to overcome the challenges -- it takes the power, love and mercy of God. And ultimately, love as God's motivation for working in the world is the real focus of this movie -- and for that, I would recommend it.One of the most disappointing things to me, however, was the music. Not even the biggest names in contemporary Christian music could make the songs work. Frankly, I am a little surprised they allowed their voices to be associated with these songs -- but then, maybe that's just another example of grace at work. Maybe they are not approving the music so much as they are approving the message of the movie -- God loves us.

I first read this book 30 years ago and just finished the movie version last evening. This book/movie is appropriately simple, because Love is simple, but we seem to make it so difficult for ourselves. It told such a non-denominational version of who & what He may be like, if He would show up again today, in our midst.In a movie, like this one, the producers have to find the just right actor to portray such a hard act to follow as Jesus. (Joshua, Jeshua, Jeshua Ben Joseph, etc.) In the book version however, we supply the faces of the characters by using our own imagination. If the author gives a good description of the characters he is writing about we can do really well with mentally conjuring up a face and body for them as the author had intended.In my case, and with many others, Jesus has come to me when I was desperate and lost and also when I cursed God the Father when I had been in a lot of pain and a week without sleep. I was really upset and I dissed God the Father. I won't go into detail but Jesus is the most beautiful person I've ever seen, yet so male. He promised to be with us always in our most difficult times and He has not broken that promise.What I remember about Him the most clearly is His eyes. In the movie King of Kings Jeffery Hunter had beautiful blue eyes. I don't know why they used blue eyes, but it worked. And it certainly works for the real thing. He has "Eyes of Heaven!" When He looks at you one sees all of Creation in His eyes. They are just captivating. What is the old saying, "Eyes are the windows of the Soul."There are two lines from Scripture that I think are very profound and set the stage for all the rest of the story. One, from Genesis, asks "Who told you that you are naked?" I don't hold to the childish perception that Eve offered an apple to Adam. Prior to that moment God had told them that they could partake of any tree in the Garden, but not the one in the center of the Garden. I firmly believe that that Tree was the Earth... Beautiful to behold and good for gaining Wisdom! As Eve said.But, just as any intelligent being with free will would do, we had to see what it was like to be a beautiful flower or a great Oak or a great animal. How alluring is this beautiful Planet of ours? How frail is the Earth moving through the cold and inhospitable Space around it.So, when I got back from my death experience I knew that it's all about Love. It always has been. It always will be. Love is behind everything! Love is the only real thing in Creation. All else is allusion.In the '60's the hippies declared that "God is Love!" But that is backwards. It's "Love is God". We perceive the Love as a God. Then we go about yelling at others who don't perceive that God as we do. We are the gods of old. Blasphemy, you might say. But just ask yourselves, "Who are we that God is mindful of us?"John Michael Kessler

this is not your normal Christian movie. Joshua brings a truly ecumenical view of the Godhead that will enlighten even the most ardent religionists. Joshua doesn't just tell us what we should be, he show us. A must see for Christian famililes who would like help (of all ages) understanding the principles of selflessness, helpfulness, love, brotherhood, and much more. Should be in every church library. Highly recommended !

I have always loved this film. Heartwarming, uplifting and Tony Goldwyn at his best. Arrived a week earlier than expected too!

I love this film, heart warming and tells the jesus story set in modern times

A heart warming story. It's just a beautiful film.

I am fond of fairy tales and hopeful tales, and Joshua is a very beautiful story about faith, hope and love. It's not a particularly well-known movie and this may be where it's gold lies, the characters are wonderfully written and superbly acted. You don't need to be religious to enjoy this movie.