Benny and Joon (1993)

Benny and Joon DVD

This is a wonderful movie. It arrived within a few days in perfect condition and was packaged with care to the contents. We are very pleased and would recommend this seller. July 13, 2008

Not very realistic, but Depp is very effective none-the-less...

You'll never hear me say that `Benny & Joon' is a perfect film, but you will hear me say that it is a good one, one that I personally enjoy very much. Do I think that it accurately portrays the handicaps of a mental illness? No, I do not. But, keeping in perspective that this is a `quote-unquote' family comedy you don't really expect it to portray the mentally ill perfectly. To me, `Benny & Joon' is less a film about mental handicaps and more a film about family relationships; and in that respect it works just fine.

The film tells the story of Benny and Joon, brother and sister, who live together. Their parents are deceased (or so I would gather) and so they have each other, and that's about it. That is until Sam comes to town. The strange cousin of one of Benny's poker buddies, Sam winds up staying in Benny's house when Joon loses a poker hand. Sam turns out to be the best thing for Joon, and ultimately for Benny as well, for he teaches them both valuable lessons about life, love and relationships.

The basic premise of the film is highly preposterous when you think about it. There is no way that a man in his right frame of mind would leave his mentally ill sister in the care of a complete stranger (especially one as eccentric as Sam). It took me a minute to take this film seriously when I first realized that that was where this story was going, but the performances are so heartfelt (I'm tempted to say this is Depp as his very finest) that it elevates the material and allows the audience to connect and care about what they are watching.

Of these performances, Depp is the surefire standout. As Sam he is endearing, intriguing and all around entertaining. Depp delivers one of his finest comedic performances to date here, in my opinion surpassing that of his fan favorite `Jack Sparrow'. As Sam, Depp is genuine and sincere; likable and charming and all around a great comedic hero. Aidan Quinn is superb as Benny, the overprotective older brother. His reactions towards Sam and really everything involving his sister is genuine, you can see that. That is why I say it is better to look at this as a film about sibling relationships because the way he protects his sister is the way that any `good' brother in that sort of `family' situation (diseased parents) would react, having officially taken over as a guardian. I was a little disappointed with Mary Stuart Masterson's performance at first, but as the movie progressed and I realized that I should not be too concerned with how realistic the mental illness translates I began to appreciate her performance. The script doesn't flesh out her disorder to any real satisfactory degree and so when she has her little tantrums it can seem out of place and unwarranted since the scene before she was acting more `normal' than her brother.

Just a little note on Julianne Moore - in all seriousness, nothing more than a throwaway role, although her characters cinematic background lay scene to some of Depp's funniest lines.

Regardless of your feelings on its accuracy, there is no denying that `Benny & Joon' has a quirky sense of tenderness that is bound to touch your heart. As the film draws to a close and Sam tells Benny "I used to look up to you; but now I can't look at you" your heart will break, and that is a good sign of how effective Depp is in this role. Sure, this is not Depp's best film (`Ed Wood' anyone) but it is his finest performance. June 26, 2008

absolutely wonderful!!!

I would recommend this film to anyone, not just Johnny Depp fans. It is wonderful and he is a true artist. Dealing with the mentally ill is never easy, on film or in real life but it is dealt with here. The difficulty of understanding how people feel and what they need. Mary Stuart Masterson was probably born for this part and this film no doubt, was supposed to make her a big star. Sadly for her, being in a film with Mr. Depp did not help her. He is so much more talented than anyone else, that he dominates the action and makes the rest of the characters look like, 'also featuring' extras. Julianne Moore has the worst lines ever and I did feel for her but Johnny Depp's 'Sam' is so much more interesting, that you hardly pay attention. There are also many actors in smaller roles, who will go on to greater things. Oliver Platt, William H. Macy, Danny Hedaya and Aidan Quinn, as Benny, barely manages, once again over-shadowed by our boy Johnny. Yes, I am an intense Johnny Depp fan but he has made a lot of terrible movies. This one is great. There are a few scenes that parents might not care for their young children to see but the PG rating is just fine. Buy it today! May 24, 2008

This film lives or dies on its ability to charm you

Benny (Aidan Quinn) is a mechanic who, since the death of their parents, has been the caretaker for his schizophrenic sister Joon (Mary Stewart Masterson), a job that has become increasingly difficult. They are obliged to take in the quirky Sam (Johnny Depp), and love blossoms between the two soulful oddballs.

For this movie to work, you have to love these relentlessly eccentric characters, and, unfortunately, I couldn't love them enough. The horrendous pitfalls that go along with mental illness are shown just enough to provide some complications in the narrative, but the filmmakers clearly had their sights set on a happy ending right from the beginning, and they were going to let nothing get in the way. There are some egregious lapses in logic that are required to make this story go in the direction the filmmakers want. For example, there is serious debate about whether Joon would be better off living in a group home (where she would have constant supervision) or in her own apartment (where she would be mostly unsupervised, even though there would be a friend living in the same building). These choices are opposite ends of a spectrum, not roughly equivalent alternatives that a responsible mental health professional would present to a harried caretaker.

There are pleasures to be found here, mostly notably Johnny Depp's extraordinary performance, but you have to be charmed into forgetting the real world first.
May 18, 2008

Down To Earth

For most of my life I've believed if it's not an old black and white movie, it's not worth watching. But I discovered this movie a couple years ago and it's by far my favorite. For someone that has always felt strange and left out, this movie for some reason means a lot to me. When I met the man of my dreams, I gave him this movie to show him how much he means to me. May 18, 2008

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