Benny and Joon

Director: Jeremiah Chechik, Jeremiah S. Chechik Jeremiah Chechik

Overview

Jeremiah Chechik's quirky romantic comedy Benny & Joon comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. English and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Surround, while a Spanish soundtrack has been recorded in Dolby Digital Mono. Spanish and French subtitles are accessible, and the English soundtrack is closed-captioned. Supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by those involved with the production, deleted scenes, a music video, and the original theatrical trailer. This is a solid disc from MGM/UA.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/09/2001
UPC:	0027616857736
Original Release:	1993
Rating:	PG
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[monaural, Dolby Digital, stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:38:00
Sales rank:	6,663

Special Features

Audio Commentary ; Deleted Scenes ; Costume & Make-Up Tests ; Stunt Reel ; Music Video ; Original 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

Scene Index

Scene Selections.
0. Scene Selections.
1. Title/ Benny's Cars. [2:51]
2. "The Sea Has Spoken." [1:42]
3. High-Stakes Game. [3:11]
4. Time For A Group Home. [4:11]
5. A New Cousin. [8:06]
6. Diner Theatre. [:57]
7. First Day With Sam. [5:00]
8. Shame About Raisins. [2:15]
9. Dinner And A Movie. [1:58]
10. Considering Itemhood. [5:43]
11. Accidental Showman. [6:03]
12. "Don't Tell Benny." [2:42]
13. Tapioca And Run. [:14]
14. No Visitors. [3:09]
15. Room 335: Closed Ward. [5:21]
16. An Easier Life/Credits. [1:00]

Menu

Main.
Play Movie.
Special Features.
   Audio Commentary.
   Deleted Scenes.
      Audition.
      Mutilator.
   Costume, Make-Up Test And Stunt Reel.
   Music Video.
   Theatrical Trailer.
   Menu Group #1 with 16 chapter(s) covering 01:38:19
Languages.

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