FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Benny And Joon [DVD] [1993]

Benny And Joon [DVD] [1993]
enlarge	Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik Actors: Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn, Julianne Moore, Oliver Platt Studio: MGM Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~£12.99~~ Buy New: £2.34 as of 25/11/2009 09:50 GMT details You Save: £10.65 (82%) New (11) Used (9) from £2.34 Seller: fastdvd2006 Rating: 35 reviews Sales Rank: 3743 Format: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen Languages: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), German (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), Danish (Subtitled), Dutch (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), German (Subtitled), Italian (Subtitled), Norwegian (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Swedish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Dubbed), German (Dubbed), Italian (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Discs: 1 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 94 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5050070001860 ASIN: B00005LDE1 Theatrical Release Date: April 16, 1993 Release Date: July 23, 2001 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: 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 IBenny Joon/I. 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 ISome Voices/I, IBenny Joon/I 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. p BOn the DVD:/B 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. --IPhil Udell/I

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 35 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next » Simply Beautiful October 29, 2006 Leah Cox (London, England) 21 out of 21 found this review helpful 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. br /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. br / br /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. br / br /Sam... the oddball (who has traces of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton about him) sees the world through innocent eyes 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. br / br /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... he's amazing and perfect. Beautifully acted love story. November 23, 2003 dragondrums (Ingleby Barwick, United Kingdom) 32 out of 33 found this review helpful 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.brBenny 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.brVery 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 August 21, 2005 Daniel Jolley (Shelby, North Carolina USA) 30 out of 31 found this review helpful 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?pMary 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.pSam 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. pAidan 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. Hand me the iron, there's bread that needs toasting August 27, 2003 Fisket (West Sussex, UK) 18 out of 19 found this review helpful I bought this film for the fact that Johnny Depp is in it, and while I was not disappointed in the least, he is by no means the only good thing about this crazily brilliant film.p The basic premise of the film is that Joon, a girl with psychological problems and a very protective older brother, wins a guy named Sam in a game of cards. She and Sam fall in love, leaving them with the task of telling Benny and living to see another day, and getting past Joon's harder problems associated with her mental disorder.p From this summary, you can already see how this film is such a mix of genres.p 'Benny and Joon' could be classified as a romance, a drama, a comedy or an angst flick, but really it's simply a perfect blend of all four, with a quirkiness factor that just makes it very original and incredibly amusing to watch.p I laughed out loud more times than I can count: I had no idea Depp was so talented at playing comedic roles. On the other hand, there are moments when Sam shows sincerity and maturity, which keep his character admirable and realistic- no one can be a clown all the time without ending up looking stupid and insensitive. And Depp even manages to pull off a character who wears a top-hat and tails in marvellous style!p There is such a balance of the elements in this film: the romance scenes between Joon and Sam are my favourites of any film I've ever seen, and this is already one of my favourite films of all time. It's just so different from the usual, samey 'boy meets girl' sludge from the bottom of the Hollywood barrel.p You should definitely see this film. It's one of a kind, and more than entertaining. Benny and Joom August 17, 2005 Jess 7 out of 7 found this review helpful This is a truly touching film. I had no idea what it was about when I bought it (Infact, to tell you the truth, I only bought it because of Johnny Depp) And actually, even after I had read the back when I brought it home, it sounded fairly usual and disapointing. Maybe a little 'silly' for my tastes, but I watched it anyway, not expectinig too much from it.br Benny and Joon pearl, Joon being mentally ill, have lived together on their own for 12 years after their parent's unfortunate deaths, but 12 years ais a long time, and Benny isn't coping so well. His sister's doctor has suggested putting Joon into a group home, but Benny, who detests the places, says no, and that he just needs a new housekeeper. Then one day, during an unusual game of cards, Joon loses, and wins Sam.br Benny allows him to say, for what was originally supposed to be a night, but becomes more of a permanent fixture. Sam and Joona fall in love, Benny is less than thrilled, and although it obviously has a happy ending, it takes more than was expected to convince Benny.br This film really makes you believe that there is someone for everyone, and with a brilliant cast, and an amazing soundtrack, this is possibly one of the sweetest, and moving films I've ever seen. You may need a tissue. Well worth buying! Showing reviews 1-5 of 35 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next »

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