Saturday, April 5, 2008

Benny & Joon (1993) NR - 3½ Stars

Dysfunctionality at it's best, Depp is great at playing the the character of Benny with his unusual sense of facial expressions. Though he doesn't fit in well in most places, he completes Joon and the two feed off each other's innocence.

When the parents of Benny (Aidan Quinn) and his sister Juniper "Joon" (Mary Stuart Masterson) die in a car accident, Benny's new job is to take care of his mentally retarded sister. But it starts to become too much for him. Benny owns a small auto mechanic shop and his life consists of work and coming home to take care of her. It's hard to find help to watch her while he's at work as the house keepers constantly quit. When Joon bets on a hand of poker and looses, Benny is forced to take on yet another abnormal patient "Sam (Johnny Depp). Sam is the cousin of a close friend of Benny's.

Sam is a unique character who mimics the acts of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Joon takes to him right away because of his quirkiness. The two begin to fall in love and Benny finds himself jealous as he has no one in his life. After admitting Joon to hospital better suited to take care of her, he realizes he can't give up on love and Sam and Benny break in to get her out.

MGM Distribution
Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik
Writers: Barry Berman, Leslie McNeil
Producer: Susan Arnold
I viewed 4/08

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