Waste of time

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Pretty Good

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Hollywood has often been accused of trivialising metal illness, but here it really takes the cake. Sam, as portrayed by Johnny Depp, is a certifiable nutcase who nevertheless has memorised routines by the likes of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, which he repeats to general acclaim. What he doesn't have though, is any distinguishable character trait other than acting odd and dressing funny... this is not a fully realised individual, but an amalgamation of ideas and quirks some writer put together because they thought it would be cute. Well he is... if you're a brainless teenage girl, who doesn't care about realism and just wants someone to salivate over. The rest of us hopefully will see him as the unimaginative, paper-thin construct he is.As for Joon, she's a mentally unstable girl who is either as sweet as pie or a rampaging loon, depending on what the plot demands of her. She lights fires, smashes up a lot of stuff and talks in incomprehensible riddles. We see she might have been affected by her parent's death at a young age, but would the change be THAT dramatic? Her brother Benny is at his wit's end... she lives with him, and looking after his sister has stopped him from fulfilling any of his ambitions in life. He's about to stick her in a home for the disabled. Then they win Sam in a poker game (don't ask) and everything turns upside down.My major problem here, as you may have guessed, is the inconsistency of the characters. They arrive on screen, establish their personas... and then do or say something so contrary to what we've noticed before, they lose almost all credibility. It's not like they were too complex to begin with, so if the screenwriter can't even keep to within those simple parameters, then he doesn't look too clever. So, while it may be a lot of fun to see Depp emulating scenes from classic silent pictures, the fact remains he and the people around him lack basic credence to the viewer hurts the proceedings. There are genuinely sweet moments, and some hearty laughs to be had. Just not enough to make up for the feeling of disassociation I felt throughout.And if I hear that bloody Proclaimers song one more time... *Grr* 5/10

"Benny & Joon" remains distinctive 20 years later for its handling of mental illness, choosing boldly not to preoccupy itself with a clinical approach and instead to focus on its impact on relationships. But really, it's Johnny Depp who makes it a memorable film.The least interesting of the three main characters is the protagonist in this film, Aidan Quinn's Benny. Benny is the blue collar older brother of the mentally unstable Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), an artist prone to fits including throwing things and pyromania. Both are adults, but Joon obviously needs to be cared for as if a child. After her most recent caretaker quites, Benny finds himself forced to think about sending Joon to a living community, but plans are stalled when an unusual young man ends up in their lives.Sam (Depp) is an eccentric, a young man who models his behavior off silent film star Buster Keaton and performs various physical comedy gags both on purpose yet also intuitively. He charms Joon and after awhile even manages to impress Benny, but he slowly starts to complicate the dynamic between brother and sister.Depp's performance exhibits Keaton but also Gene Wilder ala "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." He's a joy to watch and an absolute natural when it comes to quirkiness. Although audiences had a taste of his talent in "Edward Scissorhands," it's this film where he shows just how excellent of a physical actor he is, foretelling of his eventual mainstream success.Interesting that Depp gets top billing in the credits when it's a film mostly centered on how Benny will deal with Joon. Perhaps "Christmas Vacation" director Jeremiah S. Chechik didn't realize until into filming how great of a performance he was going to get. Regardless, the script from Berry Berman and Lesley McNeil certainly didn't account for it. We spend too much time watching Benny mishandle Joon as well as his personal life despite his good heart and best intentions. A side plot he has with Julianne Moore as the waitress Ruthie completely detracts from the characters that should be getting more screen time, and it's frustrating because their conflict is handled with such immaturity on the part of both characters.With Joon's disorder not diagnosed for the audience, Masterson has little to draw upon for her performance, but she endears us to Joon with a wide-eyed approach whenever she's not throwing a tantrum. Her preoccupation with a man who also has his quirks but wears them so proudly makes a lot of sense, but we don't get to see their relationship blossom with so much of the film spent following Benny around.It's unclear whether writer Berman intended to have the other characters who aren't Joon make poor decisions about their lives in order to make a point. On one hand, such a notion would be wise and true to a certain degree, but on the other, the decisions are so rash that one has to question the authenticity of the characters."Benny & Joon" mostly sees all its conflict underdeveloped, but the story generates enough curiosity to last the length of the film (though it could really be shorter). Depp's convincing and unusual turn brings a certain life, energy and most importantly memorability to the film, a comedy angle that the film sorely needs. Its approach to conflict is not serious enough to consider it a drama, but it's not nearly romantic enough to be considered a romance. Understandably, it's remembered as a comedy.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit moviemusereviews.com for more

I wasn't expecting too much from this but it turned out to be a lot more heart warming and touching of a movie then I would've thought. The story is about a girl with a mental illness, her protective brother and a slightly child like man-child who is talented in a Buster Keaton kind of way. This is a role unlike anything else you've seen Johnny Depp in. Mary Stuart Masterson has a very well layered role and Aidan Quinn plays her protective older brother. Julianne Moore in one of her first roles plays a waitress at the local diner who's a failed actress who's come home from an attempt in Los Angeles that didn't go as well as she had hoped.

The part for Johnny Depp was tailor-made. As a Buster Keaton look-alike and showing amazing talents, Depp would go on to a career with strong performances as way-out characters. This film is no exception.A very challenged mentally ill woman finds love with the Depp character. Her protective brother can't see it until he realizes that he also has a life to live-in this case with Julianne Moore.The film proves that mentally challenged people can find happiness under certain circumstances. If possible, they must be given the freedom to pursue this.Moore is excellent in the role as the mentally challenged woman. Her total breakdown on the bus was a scene of rare quality.As the brother, Aidan Quinn is totally sympathetic in the part.There are certainly comical breaks in this challenging film.