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Benny & Joon (1993)

 -  Comedy | Drama | Romance  -  16 April 1993 (USA)
7.0
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Ratings: 7.0/10 from 33,094 users  
Reviews: 149 user | 31 critic

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

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(story), (story), 1 more credit »
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Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Sam
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...
...
...
Eric
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Dr. Garvey (as C.C.H. Pounder)
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Thomas
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Mike
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Randy Burch
...
Claudia
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Mrs. Smail
Don Hamilton ...
UPS Man
Waldo Larson ...
Waldo
Irvin Johnson ...
Orderly
Shane Nilsson ...
Orderly
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Storyline

In a small town, an auto mechanic named Benny is devoted to taking care of his mentally ill sister, Joon, who can barely function alone in the real world despite being a talented artist. This relatively stable situation is shaken up when Benny is obliged in a poker game to welcome another player's relative, Sam, to his home for a few days. When Sam arrives, he quickly makes an impression with his quietly eccentric ways which emulate the antics of the great silent movie comedian, Buster Keaton. Without Benny's full knowledge, Sam and Joon find themselves drawn to each other to the fullest degree. However when Benny finds out, it creates a rift in the siblings as they struggle to accept their relationship is profoundly changing with the presence of this odd newcomer. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

poker | love | mechanic | sibling | bus | See more »

Taglines:

A romance on the brink of reality.

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for theme, a scene of mild sensuality and one use of harsh language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

16 April 1993 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Benny i Joon  »

Box Office

Gross:

$23,202,734 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Johnny Depp did all of the stunts for the physical comedy sequence in the park himself. See more »

Goofs

When Joon plays poker, she asks for two cards--one can be seen as being a black card. When she shows her hand, she has five hearts. See more »

Quotes

Thomas: [while playing cards] Soap on a rope. Slightly used.
See more »

Connections

References Hey There (1918) See more »

Soundtracks

"HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME"
Written and Performed by John Hiatt
Courtesy of A&M Records, Inc.
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

funny *and* realistic (whatever others may say)
28 December 1998 | by (Campbell, California) – See all my reviews

I first saw this movie with almost no expectations. Now I own it and have watched it more times than I can remember.

I have heard that this movie caught a lot of flak about not being "realistic" about mental illness, and not providing a diagnosis for Joon, etc. I think that it is more realistic for the "average" person with a mental illness than any other movie I have seen on the topic. There was no theme of "being institutionalised forever" and there was no unrealistic expectation of a "cure".

The character of Sam put it best when he said "Aside from being a little mentally ill, she's pretty normal." I think that's the best quote I've heard in a movie, on that particular topic.

I also think there is a reason for there being no stated diagnosis of Joon. She personifies those of us who can't get on with the things we want to do in life because of a mental illness and treatment getting in the way. She does it very well, down to the mannerisms. If she were to be labeled, say, obsessive-compulsive, or post-traumatic stress disorder, or schizophrenic, or bipolar, then the universality would be taken out of it and it would suddenly only apply to people with one certain label.

This movie did wonders for my family. Upon watching it, we all said "That's us!" and learned to laugh at ourselves and the situations we got into. It offered me a lot of hope -- what more could I want than to find an understanding and eccentric friend to love and move into my own apartment, away from the mess of hospitals and doctors? It still makes me laugh every time I see it, and "Joon" has become a household word... I recommend this to anyone, particularly anyone with a mental illness, and their families -- it might lighten things up, but it certainly doesn't skip over the bad parts.


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