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Benny and Joon

Stuck with a mentally ill sister and a strange guy won in a poker game, what’s a guy to do? This is the question in the 1993 romantic comedy "Benny and Joon." Although it has a tendency to get a little over sentimental, this movie has a charming quirkiness to it that will endear it to even the most cynical viewer.

Benny, played by Aidan Quinn, is a mechanic who spends most of his time taking care of his mentally unstable, but quick witted and strong minded sister Joon, skillfully played by Mary Stuart Masterson. Benny’s life is made up of work, worrying about Joon and playing poker with friends, his only respite. This game goes array when Joon decides to play and ends up losing the hand and gaining the other player’s off-beat cousin, Sam, played by the ever entertaining Johnny Depp. Sam is an eccentric character with an affinity for Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin shown by his emulating their dress and mannerisms. Benny begrudgingly takes him in while the two outsiders fall for each others oddities. However, this doesn’t sit well with the over protective Benny, who starts to think that maybe putting Joon in a home would be safer than leaving her with the equally erratic Sam.

The greatest thing about this movie is its whimsical finesse. Although based in realism, it feels magical as Sam defies the rules of reality with his penchant for hanging out in trees and physical slapstick comedy. Depp is as deft as always in playing unique characters with such an endearing, comical flair that it is hard not to love even the strangest of his roles. The story can get a little one-note at times as you get the feeling that director Jeremiah Chechik are playing it too safe. However, this is made up for with Depp’s talent for enchantment and a strong supporting cast that includes Oliver Platt as Benny’s friend and Julianne Moore as Benny’s budding love interest. All in all, the movie provides a mystical story of societal misfits finding love.

Written by: Marguerite Spellman

Reviewers Rating: 7.5
Reader's Rating: 10.00
Reader's Votes: 3

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