Benny & Joon [Blu-ray]

Director: Jeremiah Chechik, Jeremiah S. Chechik Jeremiah Chechik

Overview

Johnny Depp was nominated for a Golden Globe for his astonishing performance in Benny & Joon, though the entire cast is equally impressive. Benny (Aidan Quinn) runs a small car repair shop. He must also take care of his mentally ill sister Juniper, better known as Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson). After losing a bet, Benny is forced to bring another eccentric into his house: Sam (Johnny Depp), the cousin of a friend. Not inclined to conversation, Sam expresses himself by performing Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton routines (and brilliantly!) Not surprisingly, he immediately hits it off with Joon. As Sam and Joon fall deeper in love, Benny for the first time in life experiences the pangs of jealousy. As can be gathered by this synopsis, Benny and Joon may not strike responsive chord with everyone; those who like the film, however, are almost militant in their devotion.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/05/2011
UPC:	0883904233282
Original Release:	1993
Rating:	PG
Source:	Mgm (Video & Dvd)
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:38:00
Sales rank:	18,888

Special Features

Audio commentary by Jeremiah Chechik ; Deleted Scenes ; Costume, make-up test and stunt reel ; Music video ; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Johnny Depp	Sam
Mary Stuart Masterson	Joon Pearl
Aidan Quinn	Benny Pearl
Julianne Moore	Ruthie
Oliver Platt	Eric
CCH Pounder	Dr. Garvey
Dan Hedaya	Thomas
Joe Grifasi	Mike
William H. Macy	Randy Burch
Liane Alexandra Curtis	Claudia
Eileen Ryan	Actor
Don Hamilton	Actor
Heidi Levitt	Actor
Waldo Larson	Walter
Leslie Laursen	Actor
Faye Killebrew	Actor
Irvin Johnson	Actor
Shane Nilsson	Actor
Ramsin Amirkhas	Actor
Lynette Walden	Actor
Amy Alizabeth Sanford	Actor
Brian Keevy	Actor
John Grant Phillips	Actor
Tony Lincoln	Actor
Noon Orsatti	Actor
Dan Kamin	Actor

Technical Credits

Barry Berman

Jeremiah Chechik	Director,Director
Barry Berman	Screenwriter
Susan Arnold	Producer
William Badalato	Executive Producer
Risa Bramon Garcia	Casting
Heidi Levitt	Casting
Noon Orsatti	Stunts
Donna Roth	Producer
J.D. Streett IV	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin may be long gone but their spirit lives on in Jeremy Chechik's whimsical film. Benny (Aidan Quinn) is a garage owner who is responsible for the care of his mentally ill sister, Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson). After a poker loss forces him to take in the eccentric Sam (Johnny Depp) as a boarder, Benny becomes concerned when Joon finds Sam attractive. Chechik's film has charm to spare but is a trifle evasive in its suggestion that a form of mental illness that sounds like schizophrenia can be cured by love. But reality must take a back seat in a film which almost amounts to a showcase for a virtuoso performance by Johnny Depp. An actor who has often played down his matinée idol looks to explore characters inhabiting the outermost regions of human experience and imagination, in this film he plays a character that has apparently absorbed the complete works of the great silent comedians, and replicates their style in his everyday behavior. Although this can sound repellently precious, Depp's ability to mimic Keaton and Chaplin, as well as inventing some of his own comic business, is astonishing. But as appealing as this character may be, one wonders, along with Benny, if he is the answer to the problems of the troubled Joon. Quinn, Masterson, and Julianne Moore, as a waitress Benny has his eye on, are all excellent.

All Movie Guide - Michael Costello