Josh and S.A.M.
| Josh and S.A.M. | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Billy Weber |
| Produced by | Martin Brest |
| Written by | Frank Deese |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Thomas Newman |
| Cinematography | Don Burgess |
| Edited by | Chris Lebenzon |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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November 24, 1993 |
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Running time
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98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $18 million |
| Box office | $1,640,220 |
Josh and S.A.M. is a 1993 American drama-comedy film revolving around two brothers who hate each other and the way they react to their parents' divorce. It stars Noah Fleiss, his film debut, along with Jacob Tierney, Martha Plimpton, and a young Jake Gyllenhaal. It was directed by Billy Weber and produced by Martin Brest.
The film is a road-trip themed dark comedy about two young brothers who run away from home due to emotional conflict over the divorce of their parents. Jacob Tierney plays older brother Josh who unintentionally brainwashes his younger brother Sam (Noah Fleiss) making him believe that he was a genetically designed child warrior. Josh says that Sam is actually an acronym, and that he is a "Strategically Altered Mutant" that was designed by the government to fight in a secret war in Africa. After a series of various suspicious coincidences in Josh's lies, Sam eventually believes that he is a S.A.M.
Josh says that he can be safely deactivated and turned back into a human if he reaches Canada. After a thunderstorm grounds their flight in Dallas forcing them to stay in hotel, Josh grows impatient with his mother and decides to abandon Sam and his life. Blocked at all exits by hotel officials, he heads into a high school reunion to seek refuge. He later lies that his mother was a graduate, and he finds Derek Baxter (Chris Penn), a drunken man claiming to be his father. Before Josh has time to clear his lie, Sam appears and, shortly thereafter, Derek drives them to their "grandparents'" house to tell the good news. Upon entering the house Derek overreacts to a picture of the real family and goes after Josh. After Sam hits him with a cueball, Josh reacts defensively and hits Derek on the head with a pool cue, supposedly killing him. In panic, the two brothers steal his rental car and begin their trek to Canada.
After a day of Josh and Sam driving they encounter Alison (Martha Plimpton), who is an older teen runaway from Hannibal, Missouri. They pick her up due to a resemblance to another lie of Josh's, the Liberty Maid. According to the Liberty Maid's description she aids fleeing S.A.M.s to Canada, in the similar way of Harriet Tubman. Alison travels with them as their driver and during the run develops a bond with Josh. After a run-in with a cop outside of Salt Lake City, Sam flees, causing a chase through the desert that nearly kills Sam as he crawls under a train. After Josh and Allison reach the car, they dash to the road to continue their journey.
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