Benny & Joon

1993 "A romance on the brink of reality."
7.1| 1h38m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 16 April 1993 Released
Producted By: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

A mentally ill young woman finds her love in an eccentric man who models himself after Buster Keaton.

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Reviews

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets
Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.
Jackson Booth-Millard I had heard about this film many times in the past, and I've seen the images of the leading actor with his costume and choice of pork pie and top hats, so I had to see if I was going to like it. Basically Benjamin "Benny" Pearl (Aidan Quinn) and his mentally ill sister Juniper "Joon" Pearl (Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe's Mary Stuart Masterson) have lived together since the accidental death of their parents. Benny's friend Mike (Batman Forever's Joe Grifasi) has his cinephile cousin Sam (Golden Globe nominated Johnny Depp) staying with him, Joon joins a poker game, and loses a bet that means Sam has to live with the Pearls. Benny is outraged at first, but spending some time with Sam, and finding he cleaned the house, Benny allows him to stay as a "housekeeper", other housekeepers have been scared away by Joon's outbursts. Joon and Sam bond as he is illiterate, she helps him write a letter to his mother, they go to a local diner together where waitress Ruthie (Julianne Moore) works, Ruthie comes over for dinner, she and Benny bond when he takes her home, they set a dinner date. Alone together, Joon and Sam kiss, Benny and Ruthie have a fun date, but he ends it, wanting to get back home and look after Joon, and Sam tries to apply for a job advertised in the video store. Benny, Joon and Sam hang out in the park together, Sam attracts an appreciative crowd when he starts doing Buster Keaton style tricks with his hat and his body, Benny is amazed of his talent and stays to reflect in the park, while Joon and Sam back home make love, Sam tells Joon he loves her, she returns the sentiment. Benny persuades Sam that he could do more with his life and make a living with his talent, he arranges with buddy Randy Burch (William H. Macy) to have an audition. Joon becomes agitated with Benny, making comedy routine suggestions to Sam, and she makes Sam explain that they are romantically involved, Benny is angry and throws Sam out, and yells at Joon, telling her Dr. Garvey (Orphan's C.C.H. Pounder) thinks she would be better in a home. Benny leaves Joon, feeling guilty after he pushed away while she was hitting and screaming, Sam returns to the house, he and Joon pack suitcases and get on a bus, but Joon becomes agitated, Sam tries to calm her, but she becomes increasingly panicked, the bus stops and Joon is retrained and taken in an ambulance. Benny is told at hospital by Dr. Garvey that Joon does not want to see him, Sam also arrives, they argue in the waiting room, Sam goes to stay with Ruthie, also an apartment manager, and he gets the job working in the video store. Benny finds Sam and asks for his help to see Joon, using diversion from Sam, Benny is able to see Joon, he apologises and persuades her to consider getting her own apartment, and that Sam can come back with her. Joon is interviewed by Dr. Garvey, while Sam is swinging outside the window and waving, she says she wants to try living in her own apartment, the doctor agrees for her to make this choice. In the end, Benny and Joon reconcile, Sam and Joon are reunited, Benny and Ruthie become romantically involved, and Benny is happy to leave Joon and Sam alone together content and making grilled cheese sandwiches using an iron. Also starring Eraser's Oliver Platt as Eric, Commando's Dan Hedaya as Thomas and Liane Alexandra Curtis as Claudia. Masterson is convincing as the psychologically unstable, Quinn is likable as the concerned brother, but the show belongs to Depp, who is fantastic with his obsession for classic films, his impressions of Buster Keaton and Sir Charlie Chaplin, and his overall eccentric man-child personality. It is a fairly simple story about an odd character turning the lives of a brother and sister upside down, the adage of the film is "lunatics are saner than the rest of us", you will either lap up and enjoy this quirky, whimsical and heartfelt sleeper hit, or find it annoying, I personally really like it, it's a fun and good-natured romantic comedy drama. Good!
classicsoncall I have a tendency to watch films like this from a certain distance and on a different level than I think the casual viewer would. That's because I have two adult children who have struggled with mental illness, one more severely than the other. Both are functional now but one always wonders how or when a future tipping point might occur. With that first hand perspective, I didn't get a clear sense that Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson) was all that sick - "because you know, ..., except for being a little mentally ill, she's pretty normal." That was Sam's (Johnny Depp) analysis, and I think he got it right. There were only a couple of episodes where Joon acted out abnormally - the one time she got angry with Benny (Aidan Quinn) over Sam, and later on with Sam on the bus. But on both occasions, one could understand how a 'normal' person might react the same way.So with that said, I saw this more as an eccentric little love story, with maybe Sam being the challenged character more so than Joon. I mean seriously, Benny won (lost?) him in a card game, when have you ever heard of that happening? It's Sam who helps the viewer understand the point of view that eccentricity and being a little 'off' isn't always such a bad thing and that maybe there's a little room for a quirky character in everyone's life.So maybe it's not a great movie, but you'll probably remember "Benny and Joon" a lot longer than the last action adventure you just watched. It doesn't need over the top chase scenes or mindless explosions to put it's message across, and you come out of the experience with a nice warm feeling that things just might work out if you apply a little love and understanding with the crazy.
Brigid O Sullivan (wisewebwoman) A lovely little film, beautifully made and depicting mental illness in all its complexities extraordinarily well. I.E. mentally ill people are NOT stupid.At times it is laugh out loud funny and the scenes with Johnny Depp in the park are magical.Aidan Quinn was brilliantly cast as the caretaking brother - a fully rounded character, now and again railing against the responsibility of taking care of his sister, Joon.The trauma of the parents' death was well done. This could have been significant in Joon's instability but thankfully, there were no 2 X 4's.Sam, channelling Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, is a delight.And Joon's studio - what a great room! A wonderful fun film. Would watch again.8 out of 10.
Desertman84 Benny & Joon is a romantic comedy film about how two eccentric individuals, Sam and Juniper,also known as "Joon",who find each other and fall in love.It stars Johnny Depp,Mary Stuart Masterson,Aidan Quinn together with William H. Macy,Julianne Moore and Oliver Platt.It was written by Barry Berman and Lesley McNeil; and it was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik.Benny runs a small car repair shop. He must also take care of his mentally ill sister Juniper, better known as Joon. After losing a bet, Benny is forced to bring another eccentric into his house.His name is Sam, the cousin of a friend. Not inclined to conversation, Sam expresses himself by performing Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton routines.Not surprisingly, he immediately hits it off with Joon. As Sam and Joon fall deeper in love, Benny for the first time in life experiences the pangs of jealousy.Good acting,funny plot and great characters.Although there are some problems in the script and directing,the performances of the cast overshadowed them particularly Johnny Depp,who did extremely well as a physical comedian.His portrayal of Sam is delicately touching, a maladjusted waif with both soul and grit.Watch this for his performance alone.Added to that,Mary Stuart Masterson resists the temptation to soften Joon. That in itself made this movie compelling and worth watching.