Benny & Joon [VHS] [1993]: Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn, Julianne Moore, Oliver Platt, CCH Pounder, Dan Hedaya, Joe Grifasi, William H. Macy, Liane Alexandra Curtis, Eileen Ryan, Don Hamilton, Waldo Larson, Irvin Johnson, Shane Nilsson, Jeremiah S. Chechik: Amazon.co.uk: Video

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Amazon.co.uk Review
Longing for a romantic Hollywood film that will make your heart leap but not have you reaching for the sick bucket? Try Benny & Joon. Few mainstream US films manage to walk the thin line between emotion and schmaltz, but here is one film that pulls it off admirably. In the wrong hands the concept of marrying love and mental illness could have been a disaster but, as with the low-budget British film Some Voices, Benny & Joon manages to extract genuine humour and warmth from the subject. As the brother and sister of the title, the relationship between Aidan Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson is central to the story, Benny desperately trying to keep home and job together while looking after the sick Joon. Their lives take an unexpected turn with the arrival of Sam, a brilliantly comic turn by Johnny Depp, as gradually the characters learn that the happiness that all thought beyond them is within their grasp. Depp adds yet another character to his liturgy of slightly odd outsiders but plays it with such panache, this time drawing heavily on Buster Keaton, that you cannot help but fall for him. Indeed, there is not a single character here that you would not wish well.

On the DVD: The usual scene selection and a very clear audio track, given the film's musical moments a huge boost. Few will probably be able to resist The Proclaimers' "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" which opens the film. Excellent picture quality too. --Phil Udell

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Customer Reviews

35 Reviews

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(6)
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4.8 out of 5 stars (35 customer reviews)

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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Beautiful, 29 Oct 2006

By	Leah Cox "Leah" (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Benny and Joon [DVD] [1993] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)

My motto is "if Johnny Depp's in it, it's got to be worth a watch" and never is that more true than when speaking of Benny and Joon.
This film touched my heart and the hearts of those who I have shared it with. I love this film so much that Benny, Joon and Sam will forever be in my heart.

Mary Stuart Masterson is Joon, the "mentally ill" sister of Benny (Aidan Quinn). Their parents are unfortunatlely deceased and Benny has spent the majority of his life caring for Joon, never really having the time to make a life for himself. Cue Sam (beautifully played by Johnny Depp) who Joon "wins" when she loses in a game of poker... but never has there been a losing hand at poker that has had such an amazing impact on someones life.

Sam... the oddball (who has traces of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton about him) sees the world through innocent eyes is perfect for Joon, he sees past her condition and finds his way into her heart through his caring and quirky nature. This film takes you on the journey of a romance that is pure and unblinkered by what society expects of people... it's able to open your eyes and show you a twinkle of hope that love is still untainted and still able to sweep you off of your feet.

It's moving... heart wrenching even, but perfectly intwined with all the sweetness and innocence that a lot of movies of today lack. Benny and Joon never fails to put a smile on my face and I genuinely have fallen in love with the character Sam... he's amazing and perfect.

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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully acted love story., 23 Nov 2003

By	dragondrums "dragondrums" (Ingleby Barwick, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Benny And Joon [DVD] [1993] (DVD)

This film features Johnny Depp as Sam a quirky off beat character who moves in with brother and sister Benny and Joon (played by Aiden Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson) after Benny loses at a card game.
Benny takes care of his ill, troubled sister and initially is grateful to have Sam there to help care for her, especially as Sam seems to understand Joon and brings laughter into their home. As Sam and Joon's relationship starts to deepen into love however Benny protective instincts kick in and he becomes hostile and angry.
Very strong acting from all the leads stop this film from becoming too schmaltzy. The result is a beautiful film which has a perfect balance of humour and pathos. Highly recommended.

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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All you need is love - no matter how quirky it might be, 21 Aug 2005

By	Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Benny And Joon [DVD] [1993] (DVD)

I've been a fan of Mary Stuart Masterson ever since I saw Some Kind of Wonderful, and Johnny Depp plays the kind of quirky characters I usually like, but something had kept me away from Benny & Joon all this time. Partly, it was the fact that I caught a few minutes of the movie on TV and saw Depp doing a whole vaudeville routine that smacked a little too much of mimes - like every sane person in the world, I detest mimes. At last, though, I have seen the film and I can declare it a wonderful motion picture - quirky, most certainly, but good and exceedingly human. It does stretch the theme of love conquers all just a bit, but who cares?

Mary Stuart Masterson plays Joon, a young woman with a mental illness that is never clearly delineated - she's been known to start little fires, she sometimes hears voices in her head, and there is a somewhat childlike character to her nature. Aidan Quinn plays her brother Benny, a truly good guy who puts his sister's needs ahead of his own - even if it means turning down dinner with a hot chick. The siblings are approaching a crossroads, though - Joon has just run off another housekeeper, Benny can't find anyone to stay with her during the day, and all the while Joon's doctor is urging Benny to put her in a group home. Then Sam (Johnny Depp) arrives, after Joon wins him in a poker game - he's one of Benny's buddy's cousins, and he's driving the guy crazy. Benny takes him home temporarily, and things soon begin to change around the house.

Sam is even weirder than Joon (he makes grilled cheese sandwiches with an iron, for example), so naturally the two hit it off quite well. He has his own problems, but his quirky ways and Buster Keaton-inspired antics quickly win over Benny and most especially Joon. Benny even starts seeing a local girl named Ruthie (Julianne Moore), whom Sam immediately recognized as a B-movie actress from a few years past. Then, of course, romantic love rears its ugly head, and things go south in a hurry for everyone concerned, pushing Joon into a serious episode that shows Sam just how sick she really is.

Aidan Quinn is quite good in his role of Benny (and Julianne Moore is a nice bonus for the film), but Depp and Masterson clearly carry the story with their characters' quirky antics and heart-warming commitment to one another. As I alluded to, I'm not a fan of the whole Buster Keaton comedy shtick, but Depp proves a master at it, and he and Masterson have a real chemistry between them. There's high drama alongside a fair amount of subdued comedy, but Benny & Joon is an unashamedly feel-good movie, quite predictable yet charming and touching - and blessed with an extremely talented cast.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars I want to make cheese toasties with an iron
Hehehe how much fun is this film. i love it. a real feel good love, compleatly nutty film. watching with a light hearted view YOU WILL LOVE IT!

Published 2 months ago by J. YATES

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching
I watched this film and thought not a lot, I sat and absorbed the gentle frippery. I sat and smiled. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Joanne

5.0 out of 5 stars Original, thought-provoking and funny
A comedy about mental illness? Not what you would expect, but Benny and Joon treats the issues with a fantastic balance of sympathy and humour that leaves you with tears in your... Read more

Published 5 months ago by M. Drummond

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely!
I recently purchased this DVD after reading the reviews on amazon! Im glaad i did! its such a lovely film and Johnny Depp is fab in it with his yet again eccentric character... Read more

Published 16 months ago by Michael Evans

4.0 out of 5 stars Quick Reviews!
Depp continued his early nineties love of starring as offbeat characters, the type of characters that most actors would avoid taking on for fear of embarrassment or losing... Read more

Published 23 months ago by carlosnightman

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!
I stumbled across Benny and Joon by accident whilst browsing on amazon. I had actually never heard of the film but decided to buy it based on the positive reviews. Read more

Published on 19 Jul 2007 by Maria

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Film!
I am in the process of purchasing all of Johnny Depps films and so had to get this one. When i first bought it i thought that it didnt sound all that special, but boy was i wrong... Read more

Published on 4 Aug 2006 by Shell

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
This is one of the best films I have ever seen. It is a difficult subject that is treated well. The film makes you laugh and yet want to cry. Depp is wonderful.

Published on 25 Aug 2005 by sandmh

5.0 out of 5 stars Benny and Joom
This is a truly touching film. I had no idea what it was about when I bought it (Infact, to tell you the truth, I only bought it because of Johnny Depp) And actually, even after I... Read more

Published on 17 Aug 2005 by Jess

5.0 out of 5 stars This movie will hit your heart with an amazing force.
This film is incredibly moving. The story of a mentally ill woman with an overprotective brother who just can't let her go. Read more

Published on 21 Jul 2005

› See all 35 customer reviews...

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	92% buy the item featured on this page: Benny & Joon [VHS] [1993] 4.8 out of 5 stars (35)
	3% buy Ed Wood [DVD] [1995] 4.5 out of 5 stars (20) �2.97
	2% buy The Ninth Gate [DVD] [2000] 3.7 out of 5 stars (30) �3.98
	2% buy Don Juan De Marco [DVD] [1995] 4.4 out of 5 stars (19) �4.68


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Benny & Joon [VHS] [1993]

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