Tedfoldol
everything you have heard about this movie is true.
InformationRap
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
Bergorks
If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.
slightlymad22
Continuing my plan to watch every Johnny Depp movie in order, I come to Benny & Joon (1993)The title characters are Benny (Aidan Quinn )and his younger sister, Jooniper, known as Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson). He works to support them, after their parents died, when they were younger!! I suspect Joon is schizophrenic, though it's never said what is wrong with her.This is always a movie I always recommend to people. This charming movie is another of my favourite Depp movies. His performance here is perfect. As with Edward Scissorhands, Depp gives an essentially wordless performance (He does talk more here) out of expression and gesture, and again he is a joy to watch. There is a scene at a dinner, that should feel old and unfunny, when he sticks two forks into two bread rolls, holds them under his chin, and moves them to suggest that the rolls are his feet, and he is dancing. It's stolen from Chaplin in The Gold Rush, but Depp does it with such charm that it is a delight all over again. See below.Although Depp stands out, all of the cast are in top form. Julianne Moore plays a love interest for Aiden Quinn, who had the task of being the grounded straighman. Masterson is also great, being able to swing in an instant from calm to rage, can come off awful and badly acted at times, but she is great.Benny & Joon grossed $23 million at the domestic box office to end 1993 the 56th highest grossing movie of the year.
Hannah Ewen (sourpatchbab)
A true winner for light-hearted films; funny, heart-warming, but not lacking an actual story. The family themes, relationship issues, emotionally traumatic (but not too heavy) backstory, and supporting friendships, make for a realistic view of the average person's life.Both Sam and Joon are lovably quirky and clueless, and Benny's family values are admirable. The characters were all cast brilliantly, and not a single one of them was obnoxious.Benny & Joon has a gorgeous ending, and an absolutely captivating story through and through.Personal thoughts: -(27.28, The plate juggling at the diner) This is incredible, imagine how difficult that would be. -(44.45, The raisins discussion) Beautiful. -(1.31.13) Johnny Depp's long hair is lovely.
classicsoncall
I have a tendency to watch films like this from a certain distance and on a different level than I think the casual viewer would. That's because I have two adult children who have struggled with mental illness, one more severely than the other. Both are functional now but one always wonders how or when a future tipping point might occur. With that first hand perspective, I didn't get a clear sense that Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson) was all that sick - "because you know, ..., except for being a little mentally ill, she's pretty normal." That was Sam's (Johnny Depp) analysis, and I think he got it right. There were only a couple of episodes where Joon acted out abnormally - the one time she got angry with Benny (Aidan Quinn) over Sam, and later on with Sam on the bus. But on both occasions, one could understand how a 'normal' person might react the same way.So with that said, I saw this more as an eccentric little love story, with maybe Sam being the challenged character more so than Joon. I mean seriously, Benny won (lost?) him in a card game, when have you ever heard of that happening? It's Sam who helps the viewer understand the point of view that eccentricity and being a little 'off' isn't always such a bad thing and that maybe there's a little room for a quirky character in everyone's life.So maybe it's not a great movie, but you'll probably remember "Benny and Joon" a lot longer than the last action adventure you just watched. It doesn't need over the top chase scenes or mindless explosions to put it's message across, and you come out of the experience with a nice warm feeling that things just might work out if you apply a little love and understanding with the crazy.
Olya Ivanova
I would say this film was pretty much a cliché. Two strange people fall in love in this mainstream society. But there were some interesting aspects: for example, there was not too many mushy-mushy moments of verbally expressing love (I really can't stand that in films!); also, the actors were believable and did not over do it. But overall, the film didn't give any insight on new ideas and just focused on a standard topic of "forbidden love", and was pretty much predictable all the way till the end just like all Hollywood films. As a Johnny Depp fan, I don't regret watching it, but it is not a movie I would recommend to anyone.
