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Benny & Joon

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Benny & Joon (1993)

April. 16,1993
|
7.1
|
PG
| Drama Comedy
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A mentally ill young woman finds her love in an eccentric man who models himself after Buster Keaton.

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Reviews

Freaktana
1993/04/16

A Major Disappointment

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Afouotos
1993/04/17

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

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Jonah Abbott
1993/04/18

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

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Logan
1993/04/19

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

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Victoria Fisher
1993/04/20

I hadn't seen any Jeremiah S. Chechik's job before, but this one is more than good. I gave 9,because some movie's moments were a little bit too long. First seconds of the movie told me that movie will be very interesting and good. That soundtrack was used perfectly, it fixed my mood immediately, because it's very feel-good and fun. Johnny Depp performed excellent - as always. His character was super weird, but cute and lovely too. Sam and I have something in common. I envisaged a parallel between us. We both love old movies. Person (me too) is always satisfied when he see something in common between characters and himself. Sam I liked the most not even because I like Johnny Depp, but because he's the most dramatic personality in all movie and he acts very natural. Super. Actually, I have never seen something like this movie - I mean story and plot. A masterpiece which should be know all people who love watching very good movies. I recommend.

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Rich Wright
1993/04/21

Hollywood has often been accused of trivialising metal illness, but here it really takes the cake. Sam, as portrayed by Johnny Depp, is a certifiable nutcase who nevertheless has memorised routines by the likes of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, which he repeats to general acclaim. What he doesn't have though, is any distinguishable character trait other than acting odd and dressing funny... this is not a fully realised individual, but an amalgamation of ideas and quirks some writer put together because they thought it would be cute. Well he is... if you're a brainless teenage girl, who doesn't care about realism and just wants someone to salivate over. The rest of us hopefully will see him as the unimaginative, paper-thin construct he is.As for Joon, she's a mentally unstable girl who is either as sweet as pie or a rampaging loon, depending on what the plot demands of her. She lights fires, smashes up a lot of stuff and talks in incomprehensible riddles. We see she might have been affected by her parent's death at a young age, but would the change be THAT dramatic? Her brother Benny is at his wit's end... she lives with him, and looking after his sister has stopped him from fulfilling any of his ambitions in life. He's about to stick her in a home for the disabled. Then they win Sam in a poker game (don't ask) and everything turns upside down.My major problem here, as you may have guessed, is the inconsistency of the characters. They arrive on screen, establish their personas... and then do or say something so contrary to what we've noticed before, they lose almost all credibility. It's not like they were too complex to begin with, so if the screenwriter can't even keep to within those simple parameters, then he doesn't look too clever. So, while it may be a lot of fun to see Depp emulating scenes from classic silent pictures, the fact remains he and the people around him lack basic credence to the viewer hurts the proceedings. There are genuinely sweet moments, and some hearty laughs to be had. Just not enough to make up for the feeling of disassociation I felt throughout.And if I hear that bloody Proclaimers song one more time... *Grr* 5/10

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SnoopyStyle
1993/04/22

Small town auto mechanic Benny Pearl (Aidan Quinn) dutifully takes care of his mentally ill sister Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson). He can't keep a house cleaner because of her. Then Joon loses a poker game bet, and they have to take in the other card player's oddball cousin Sam (Johnny Depp). He's a Buster Keaton fanatic. She's a painter. And Benny's life is stuck in neutral taking care of Joon.MSM is playing Joon as an unabashed quirky character. It doesn't feel authentic. She's supposed to be problematic, but other than the fire thing, she doesn't seem to be that big of a problem. Same goes for Johnny Depp. He's already innately charming. It doesn't fit that he's driving his cousin insane. This is a cute movie where Johnny Depp is having all kinds of fun. There is a more dramatic romance from Benny and the waitress Ruthie (Julianne Moore) if they could let it out. Sam and Joon generate not that much heat. Until the third act, there was little drama.

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itamarscomix
1993/04/23

At the heart of 'Benny & Joon' is the story of Joon, a mentally ill young woman, and her older brother Benny, who takes constant care of her and, while complaining about how much that complicates his life, actually uses the obligation as an excuse for the fact that his own life is going nowhere. It's a story that's simple, realistic and painfully honest. It could have made for a touching little drama if only Chechik made a clean decision that that's what the film is about.Unfortunately, 'Benny & Joon's biggest asset is also its undoing, and that is the wonderful and charismatic performance of young Johnny Depp. Depp enters the scene almost halfway through as Joon's love interest, the mentally unbalanced but extremely charming Sam who chooses to model his personality (or lack thereof) on silent comedy stars Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Sam swoops Joon off her feet and disrupts the delicate balance of the siblings' relationship, which forces Benny to face up and decide whether he can let Joon go or not. Depp is terrific in his role; in one extended scene where he showcases his slapstick abilities he proves just how much of a screen personality he was and why he became one of the most bankable movie stars of the 90's. The problem is that he's so charismatic that he can easily fool the audience (and often does) that Sam is a romantic hero rather than a disruptive, chaotic presence; that this is the love story of Joon and Sam, rather than the story of Benny and his coming to terms with his own life decisions. What's worse, Depp's charisma emphasizes just how pale and unimpressive Aidan Quinn is in the role that should have been the lead.It's not a bad film; it's a pretty and touching little drama, wonderfully scripted. On the other hand, Depp's scenes are a pleasure to behold. But the contrast between the two is what ultimately makes it a failure. It doesn't help that Chechik can't quite make up his mind about how seriously he's taking Joon's mental illness, which is played for laughs a bit too often.

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