Product Description

Johnny Depp (Sleepy Hollow), Mary Stuart Masterson (Bed of Roses) and Aidan Quinn (Practical Magic) star in this wonderfully unique and delightfully offbeat romantic comedy. Joon (Masterson) is a little unbalanced. Sometimes, without warning, her sweet nature gives wayto odd behaviorincluding a penchant for setting fires! She lives with her older brother Benny (Quinn), who has spent his life taking care of her since their parents died. One night, while playing in a poker game with unusual stakes, Joon loses her hand...and wins Sam (Depp), 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.... With charm, humor and an outstanding supporting cast that includes Oliver Platt (A Time to Kill) and Julianne Moore (Hannibal), Benny & Joon is the perfect movie for everyone.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2147 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2001-01-09
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 98 minutes

Amazon.com
An oddball love story about a fey loner named Sam (Johnny Depp), who falls in love with the mentally unbalanced Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), who lives in the care of her protective brother Benny (Aidan Quinn). This 1993 story is hard to swallow, with its message that love can conquer a brand of mental illness that manifests itself in pyromania: Joon has a bad habit of going a bit around the bend and setting fires, but Sam's tender care apparently has the cure for what ails her. Still, if you want proof that Depp has significant chops as a physical comedian, give this film a try: He does note-perfect renditions of slapstick routines made famous by Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. --Marshall Fine

From The New Yorker
This is billed as an offbeat love story, but that's too kind: it misses the beat altogether. Benny Pearl (Aidan Quinn) is an auto mechanic who spends most of his time looking after his sister Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson). She's a bit crazy, although any real madness is kept strictly within the cute limits set by the director, Jeremiah Chechik. There's nothing dangerous or even disquieting about her, just an excess of creative ability and the urge to wear a swimming mask and snorkel in public. But one eccentric isn't enough for this movie. Enter Sam (Johnny Depp), a hopeless case with a taste for clowning and magic who finds a kindred spirit in Joon. "He's sweeter than he is judgmental," she croons, which says it all. They fall in love, and stroll past a couple of upsets toward a happy ending. It's one long shower of whimsy, much of it borrowed from elsewhere; when Depp does a little dance with two bread rolls, everyone around him grins with delight, as if they never saw Chaplin doing the same thing. Quinn struggles to give it some dignity, but can't do anything about Barry Berman's script: "You're blessed," he tells Depp. "You could be the new Buster Keaton." If that kind of heresy doesn't make you weep, nothing will. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Excellent movie.
I purchased this as a gift for an 18 year old girl. While I still enjoy the movie at 45 she's watched it about 5 or 6 times and still loves it. It's funny, clean, with a good story line.

Love it!
I love this movie! The deleted scenes are okay. I would have liked them better if the director wasn't talking about them as they played, but oh well. I'm not too bummed about that. Definitely a feel good movie. I haven't heard the commentary yet, but I will be watching it.

Benny & Joon
This is truly an enjoyable, delightful and charming romantic comedy. Johnny Depp brings the essence of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin into this film through his character, Sam and does it in such a delightful and totally funny way. His use of his eyes to express thoughts and feelings without words is also fun to watch. Aidan Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson turn in beautiful performances and the supporting cast is equally good and fun to watch. I love this film and recommend it highly. After watching the film, I thought how nice it would be if we all had a Sam in our lives.