Review for Benny and Joon

Director: Jeremiah Chechik

Released: 1993
Genre: Romantic Comedy

Benny and Joon was released in April 1993, and grossed over $23 million in theaters. It was shot in Spokane Washington, and as a result most of the characters have a very high "grunge" factor about them. Featured during the opening and closing credits is a song by The Proclaimers titled, "I would walk (500 miles)," that was largely popularized by its inclusion in this film. There really is not much else I can say about Benny and Joon, except that it is a quaint, modest romantic comedy above all else.

The film stars Aiden Quinn, Marry Stewart Masterson, and most notably, Johnny Depp. It is Depp who provides the bulk of the laughs (and substance) in Benny and Joon. He plays the part of Sam, an ardent cinephile and Buster Keaton impersonator who is staying in town with his cousin Mike. Sam's eccentric personality soon grates on Mike, and the latter forces his friend Benny to take Sam in after winning a poker bet with Benny's mentally ill sister, Joon. Sam and Joon soon become inseparable; they each allow the other to grow through their own faults and rigidity. Eventually, they fall in love, Joon does not have to be institutionalized, Benny romances a local waitress, and everybody is happy.

Watching Benny and Joon is sort of like seeing a marathon of the TV show Gilmore Girls- the characters are overly contrived and uniformly odd (but ultimately likable), and the story takes a back seat as a result. Director Jeremiah Chechik tries admirably to scrape by on a flimsy premise for a feature length film. I believe he would have failed, were it not for the surprisingly impressive performance of Johnny Depp. All of the best scenes in Benny and Joon are the ones in which he is the focal point, often with him performing whimsical, flawless silent film era gags. Depp did all of his own stunt work in this movie, which included several mid air summersaults and swinging from ropes on the sides of buildings, and I have a newfound respect him after seeing this movie. It is unfortunate that he only really appears halfway though- Chechik sure takes his sweet time trying to build up the small town characters and atmosphere, and Depp's refreshing antics were what staved off my mounting boredom.

Ultimately, I would recommend Benny and Joon to most, if it was playing on cable TV... especially to those Depp fans who have yet to branch out from watching Tim Burton films. Most others would probably agree when I say that Benny and Joon is a poor man's My Cousin Vinny- and that Aiden Quinn is no Joe Pesci.

2.50/4.00