Benny & Joon (1993)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Jeremiah S. Chechik

Writers (WGA):

Barry Berman (story) &
Lesley McNeil (story) ...

Release Date:

16 April 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A romance on the brink of reality.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Sibling | Mechanic | Poker | Love | Toast

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Johnny Depp	...	Sam
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Juniper 'Joon' Pearl
Aidan Quinn	...	Benjamin 'Benny' Pearl
Julianne Moore	...	Ruthie
Oliver Platt	...	Eric
CCH Pounder	...	Dr. Garvey (as C.C.H. Pounder)
Dan Hedaya	...	Thomas
Joe Grifasi	...	Mike
William H. Macy	...	Randy Burch
Liane Alexandra Curtis	...	Claudia
Eileen Ryan	...	Mrs. Smail
Don Hamilton	...	UPS Man
Waldo Larson	...	Waldo
Irvin Johnson	...	Orderly
Shane Nilsson	...	Orderly

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | South Korea:12 | Norway:11 (TV rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-10 | France:U | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Pend Oreille River, Washington, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

In addition to the ironed grilled cheese sandwiches and the tennis racket mashed potatoes, there was a scene where Sam made crab in the dishwasher. It was cut for time.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene when they are leaving the park, Benny is supposed to thank Sam for his uplifting performance, but before he starts to say thank you, Sam starts saying "no, no, thank you", causing Benny to have to squeeze his comment in while Sam is still talking.

Quotes:

Benny: Hey. Where's Sam?
Joon: I didn't mean to kick him out. I mean, I didn't kick him out, he just - he just left.
Benny: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What - What happened? Did something happen?
Joon: He just - he just left. He was - he was in the air and-and-and - with a thing and - that was really loud. It was really loud. And all- I-I just kept seeing... He didn't mean to do it.
Benny: Do it? What? What- Did he- What did he do?
Joon: He cleaned the house.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "How I Met Your Mother: Arrivederci, Fiero (#2.17)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

CAN'T FIND MY WAY HOME

Another Incredible Johnny Depp Performance

If you read this one exactly as it's written and take out the Depp character it can play accurately. It would never be a big movie like that (it wasn't big anyway) but it would be consistent and good. But insert Depp's character (and Depp's way of playing this character) and you have something entirely else. The title holds only if you don't have Depp in the movie - for this movie is all about Depp. He literally steals the show. I don't know much about Depp, what I've heard he is a somewhat weird character, but if you look at what he's done - Scissorhands and this movie as two examples - you have to wonder if you're not looking at one of the truly great actors of the day. The diner scene with the two dinner rolls, the tray of dinners, the Wurlitzer and Julianne Moore; the kitchen antics; the jack-in-the-box scene - simple but still; the 'mail a letter to momma' scene - look how Depp totally creates his character; and the park scene: this is great stuff. Is it about Benny and Joon and their ability to cope with their situation? Maybe. But moviegoers might remember this essentially 'feel good' movie as only another incredible Johnny Depp performance.