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List Price: $14.94 | | Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Salesrank: 164142
Released: August 1, 2006 |
| Our Price: $17.99 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Johnny Depp (Sleepy Hollow), Mary Stuart Masterson (Bed of Roses) and Aidan Quinn (Practical Magic) star in this wonderfully unique and delightfully offbeat romantic comedy. Joon (Masterson) is a little unbalanced. Sometimes, without warning, her sweet nature gives wayto odd behaviorincluding a penchant for setting fires! She lives with her older brother Benny (Quinn), who has spent his life taking care of her since their parents died. One night, while playing in a poker game with unusual stakes, Joon loses her hand...and wins Sam (Depp), a whimsical misfit who soon charms his way into Joon's heart. Now if they can only find the perfect mate for her overprotective brother.... With charm, humor and an outstanding supporting cast that includes Oliver Platt (A Time to Kill) and Julianne Moore (Hannibal), Benny & Joon is the perfect movie for everyone.
Description of Benny & Joon:
An oddball love story about a fey loner named Sam (Johnny Depp), who falls in love with the mentally unbalanced Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), who lives in the care of her protective brother Benny (Aidan Quinn). This 1993 story is hard to swallow, with its message that love can conquer a brand of mental illness that manifests itself in pyromania: Joon has a bad habit of going a bit around the bend and setting fires, but Sam's tender care apparently has the cure for what ails her. Still, if you want proof that Depp has significant chops as a physical comedian, give this film a try: He does note-perfect renditions of slapstick routines made famous by Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. --Marshall Fine
Benny & Joon Reviews:
Sweet Little Movie 
2008-09-29 - I really enjoyed watching this. The quirky characters, and love story make it a sweet movie. Well worth watching.
Benny and Joon
2008-08-24 - This is one you can buy without having previously seen it and never be sorry you did. Of course, Mr. Depp's performance is the highlight but he and Mary Stuart Masterson are a good pair. Funny, tender, witty. Tell your friends.
Well-acted little gem 
2008-08-24 - Like many, I'm a huge fan of Johnny Depp. And I would argue that his performance as a quirky performer of physical comedy is one of his best. Plus, it is a performance that works very well in a movie with so much oddity and sweetness.
Overall, I would call this a romantic comedy. But it goes deeper than that, beyond the usual boy-meets-girl to the heart-breaking story of a brother and sister who cannot let each other go even when each has found his/her soulmate.
The acting is stellar (not just Depp's!) and this is a story that should be appreciated for its sincerity and warmth and the courage to tackle the issue of mental illness while still keeping this a comedy.
Well-done, all around.
Good movie, not so great dvd 
2008-08-07 - I received my order in good time. I also enjoyed the movie. You can't go wrong with old-school Johnny Depp films. With that said, I have to mention that the dvd would occasionally freeze up while it was changing chapters. It wouldn't skip, but it was rather annoying for it to freeze up like that for several seconds. It probably has to do with the manufacturing quality. The dvd I received was probably an older one, because newer dvds aren't supposed to freeze up like that when they change chapters.
Ten Star Movie
2008-07-31 - This is a ten star movie. Johnny Depp is amazing leaving you wanting more.
