Benny & Joon Review

Benny & Joon

Release Date: 30th September 1993 - Australia

Production Companies

Metro Goldwyn Mayer

Roth-Arnold Productions

Genre: Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 98 minutes

Box Office Gross: $23,261,580 (USA)

Plot Summary (Retrieved from DVD Cover of Release)

Joon is a little unbalanced.

Sometimes, without warning,

her sweet nature gives way

to odd behaviour – including

a penchant for setting fires!

She lives with her older

brother Benny, who has

spent his life taking care of

her since their parents died.

One night, while playing a

poker game with unusual

stakes, Joon loses her

hand...and wins Sam, a

whimsical misfit who soon

charms his way into Joon's

heart. Now if they can only

find the perfect mate for

her overprotective brother...

Cast

Aidan Quinn - Benny

Mary Stuart Masterson - Joon

Johnny Depp - Sam

Julianne Moore - Ruthie

Oliver Platt - Eric

C.C.H. Pounder - Dr Garvey

Dan Hedaya - Thomas

Joe Grifasi - Mike

William H. Macy - Randy Burch

Liane Curtis - Claudia

Eileen Ryan - Mrs Smail

Don Hamilton - UPS Man

Waldo Larson - Waldo

Amy Alizabeth Sanford - Young Joon

Brian Keevy - Young Benny

Crew

Director - Jeremiah S. Chechik

Story/Screenplay - Barry Berman

Story - Leslie McNeil

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager - Bill Badalato

Producers - Susan Arnold

and Donna Roth
Casting Directors - Risa Bramon

Garcia and Heidi Levitt

Production Designer - Neil Spisak

Costume Designer - Aggie Guerard Rodgers

Director of Photography - John Schwartzman

Camera Operator - Mitchell Amundsen

First Assistant Director - K.C. Colwell

Choreographer: Physical Comedy - Dan Kamin
Stunt Coordinator - Noon Orsatti

Fire Effects Coordinator - Allen Hall
Special Effects Coordinator - J.D. Streett

Editor - Carol Littleton

Associate Editor - Raul Davalos

Music - Rachel Portman


Review

BENNY & JOON seemed to have a misleading title because I think it should have been Benny, Sam & Joon. Because the film focuses on these three individuals, two of them are very quirky and fall in love. The other is the older brother, who only wants what he thinks is best for his sister and must learn to let go. It underpins the main storyline of the growing connection between Sam and Joon. There is a strength in the director's message that some things considered strange or out of the ordinary aren't necessarily bad, for example, the pancake scene. I like to point out that how Joon acts in this movie reflects a degree of autism in this character. I think Joon had schizophrenia.

Johnny Depp was versatile and whimsical as he lent his physical comedy routines to good use. He mimics the incredible antics of late silent comedians such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton to create the character of Sam. Mary Stuart Masterson portrays Joon as a vulnerable, naive character who wants to control her own life despite her disability. Aidan Quinn is fine as Joon's overprotective brother but doesn't get much exposure due to Johnny Depp's scene-stealing performance.

It was a heartwarming film without being bland or sickly sweet.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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