Benny & Joon (1993)

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

Director:

Jeremiah S. Chechik

Writers:

Barry Berman (story), Lesley McNeil (story),

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Johnny Depp	...	Sam
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Juniper 'Joon' Pearl
Aidan Quinn	...	Benjamin 'Benny' Pearl
Julianne Moore	...	Ruthie
Oliver Platt	...	Eric
CCH Pounder	...	Dr. Garvey (as C.C.H. Pounder)
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
Irvin Johnson	...	Orderly
Shane Nilsson	...	Orderly

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

poker | love | mechanic | sibling | bus | 

---

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

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Benny i Joon

Filming Locations:

Pend Oreille River, Washington, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$23,202,734 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Roth-Arnold Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally in the script, Sam was supposed to leave dried flowers on the porch after Joon threw him out. A hour before shooting the scene, the director, Jeremiah S. Chechik, changed it to Sam leaving the Jack In The Box instead.

---

Goofs

Joon's medical records list her address as Water Street, but later on her Medical Alert Card shows that she lives on Cedar Street.

---

Quotes

Joon: [seeing a raise in poker] Medium sized green haired troll.

---

Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Jeff Goldblum/Aerosmith (1993)

---

Soundtracks

"CAN'T FIND MY WAY HOME"
Written by Steve Winwood
Performed by Joe Cocker
Courtesy of Capitol Records
by arrangement with CEMA Special Markets

User Reviews

Warm, engrossing film about real people

I doubt that I can add much to all the good things said about this film. Acting is superb, as is writing and direction, which keep the story from ever seeming "cute". It is never condescending about mentally ill; I love line where Joon corrects Benny's score keeping of a ping-pong game:" the mentally ill can count, you know". Both serious and comic, like life. Imagine, a good film without violence, drug life, car chases or sex. See it.