Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3474 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-07-23
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish
• Dubbed in: French, German, Italian, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 94 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Longing for a romantic Hollywood film that will make your heart leap but not have you reaching for the sick bucket? Try Benny & Joon. Few mainstream US films manage to walk the thin line between emotion and schmaltz, but here is one film that pulls it off admirably. In the wrong hands the concept of marrying love and mental illness could have been a disaster but, as with the low-budget British film Some Voices, Benny & Joon manages to extract genuine humour and warmth from the subject. As the brother and sister of the title, the relationship between Aidan Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson is central to the story, Benny desperately trying to keep home and job together while looking after the sick Joon. Their lives take an unexpected turn with the arrival of Sam, a brilliantly comic turn by Johnny Depp, as gradually the characters learn that the happiness that all thought beyond them is within their grasp. Depp adds yet another character to his liturgy of slightly odd outsiders but plays it with such panache, this time drawing heavily on Buster Keaton, that you cannot help but fall for him. Indeed, there is not a single character here that you would not wish well.

On the DVD: The usual scene selection and a very clear audio track, given the film's musical moments a huge boost. Few will probably be able to resist The Proclaimers' "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" which opens the film. Excellent picture quality too. --Phil Udell

Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
DVD 9
French\German\Italian\Spanish
English\German
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital Surround English French German Italian Spanish
Dolby Digital Surround
Original Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Menu Screens
Chapter Selections
Danish\Dutch\English\French\German\Italian\Norwegian\Spanish\Swedish

Synopsis
Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), a mentally disturbed young woman, lives with her older (and over-protective) brother, Benny (Aidan Quinn). He puts up with the untenable situation because of his love for her and his dislike of institutions. Just when their relationship reaches a point where things have to change, the soft-spoken, silent film-obsessed Sam (Johnny Depp) enters their lives and slowly begins a romance with the fragile Joon. His love proves to be just the therapy she needs--and it finally gives the reclusive Benny, who hasn't even been able to commit to a second date, the chance to start a romance of his own.

Customer Reviews

Simply Beautiful
My motto is "if Johnny Depp's in it, it's got to be worth a watch" and never is that more true than when speaking of Benny and Joon.
This film touched my heart and the hearts of those who I have shared it with. I love this film so much that Benny, Joon and Sam will forever be in my heart.

Mary Stuart Masterson is Joon, the "mentally ill" sister of Benny (Aidan Quinn). Their parents are unfortunatlely deceased and Benny has spent the majority of his life caring for Joon, never really having the time to make a life for himself. Cue Sam (beautifully played by Johnny Depp) who Joon "wins" when she loses in a game of poker... but never has there been a losing hand at poker that has had such an amazing impact on someones life.

Sam... the oddball (who has traces of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton about him) sees the world through innocent eyes and is perfect for Joon, he sees past her condition and finds his way into her heart through his caring and quirky nature. This film takes you on the journey of a romance that is pure and unblinkered by what society expects of people... it's able to open your eyes and show you a twinkle of hope that love is still untainted and still able to sweep you off of your feet.

It's moving... heart wrenching even, but perfectly intwined with all the sweetness and innocence that a lot of movies of today lack. Benny and Joon never fails to put a smile on my face and I genuinely have fallen in love with the character Sam...

Beautifully acted love story.
This film features Johnny Depp as Sam a quirky off beat character who moves in with brother and sister Benny and Joon (played by Aiden Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson) after Benny loses at a card game.
Benny takes care of his ill, troubled sister and initially is grateful to have Sam there to help care for her, especially as Sam seems to understand Joon and brings laughter into their home. As Sam and Joon's relationship starts to deepen into love however Benny protective instincts kick in and he becomes hostile and angry.
Very strong acting from all the leads stop this film from becoming too schmaltzy. The result is a beautiful film which has a perfect balance of humour and pathos. Highly recommended.

All you need is love - no matter how quirky it might be
I've been a fan of Mary Stuart Masterson ever since I saw Some Kind of Wonderful, and Johnny Depp plays the kind of quirky characters I usually like, but something had kept me away from Benny & Joon all this time. Partly, it was the fact that I caught a few minutes of the movie on TV and saw Depp doing a whole vaudeville routine that smacked a little too much of mimes - like every sane person in the world, I detest mimes. At last, though, I have seen the film and I can declare it a wonderful motion picture - quirky, most certainly, but good and exceedingly human. It does stretch the theme of love conquers all just a bit, but who cares?

Mary Stuart Masterson plays Joon, a young woman with a mental illness that is never clearly delineated - she's been known to start little fires, she sometimes hears voices in her head, and there is a somewhat childlike character to her nature. Aidan Quinn plays her brother Benny, a truly good guy who puts his sister's needs ahead of his own - even if it means turning down dinner with a hot chick. The siblings are approaching a crossroads, though - Joon has just run off another housekeeper, Benny can't find anyone to stay with her during the day, and all the while Joon's doctor is urging Benny to put her in a group home. Then Sam (Johnny Depp) arrives, after Joon wins him in a poker game - he's one of Benny's buddy's cousins, and he's driving the guy crazy. Benny takes him home temporarily, and things soon begin to change around the house.

Sam is even weirder than Joon (he makes grilled cheese sandwiches with an iron, for example), so naturally the two hit it off quite well. He has his own problems, but his quirky ways and Buster Keaton-inspired antics quickly win over Benny and most especially Joon. Benny even starts seeing a local girl named Ruthie (Julianne Moore), whom Sam immediately recognized as a B-movie actress from a few years past. Then, of course, romantic love rears its ugly head, and things go south in a hurry for everyone concerned, pushing Joon into a serious episode that shows Sam just how sick she really is.

Aidan Quinn is quite good in his role of Benny (and Julianne Moore is a nice bonus for the film), but Depp and Masterson clearly carry the story with their characters' quirky antics and heart-warming commitment to one another. As I alluded to, I'm not a fan of the whole Buster Keaton comedy shtick, but Depp proves a master at it, and he and Masterson have a real chemistry between them. There's high drama alongside a fair amount of subdued comedy, but Benny & Joon is an unashamedly feel-good movie, quite predictable yet charming and touching - and blessed with an extremely talented cast.