Review of Benny & Joon (1993) by Sharon L — 11 Apr 2009

Benny must take care of his younger sister Joon, who has a history with mental illness. Benny thinks she is fine, but outsiders seem to think Joon needs to be in a home where she can be catered to whenever she needs it. Joon doesnt want to live anywhere else, and one night a few games of cards, she ends up with Sam. Sam is another young man who many people view as an outcast.Sam and Joon begin to connect, much to the distaste of Benny.

Johnny Depp is amazing in the film. His character of Sam is described as Quirky and that is exactly what Johnny Depp makes him. He shows us the lighter side to a character whos views and ways are different from everyone else. The one thing Johnny is able to capture in Sam is his free loving spirit, his happy-go-lucky every day life.

Mary Stewart Masterson is also really good. She and Johnny hit have amazing chemistry on screen. They are so good in every scene that the film begins to warm up in your heart. Mary develops the character of Joon really slowly, but once she develops into a misunderstood character it is easy to see why. She just wants to be independent but she cant be.

This film is a dramedy. It deals with the struggle of life. Living life isnt always easy, nothing ever goes exactly the way we want it to, but we cant just give up. A simple film goes a long way to show us a lighter, less glorified side of life.