Things are kept on the right side of mawkish thanks largely to a graceful and understated performance from the ever-reliable Depp.
Comment
06/21/09
Benny & Joon (1993)
72
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:29
Fresh:21
Rotten:8
Average Rating:5.7/10
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Joon, a mentally disturbed young woman, lives with her older (and over-protective) brother Benny. He puts up with the untenable situation because of his love for her and his dislike of... [More]
Starring: Johnny Depp, Dan Hedaya, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn
Director: Jeremiah Chechik
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Reviews for Benny & Joon
If the performances were as cute and sweet as the characters, the film would need a warning label. But Depp's Sam is delicately touching, a maladjusted waif with both soul and grit, and Masterson resists the temptation to soften Joon.
06/21/09
One of my favorite romances. Quirky and magical.
10/23/03
Depp's portrayal of a Buster Keaton-ish type character is mesmerizing.
10/04/02
No review available.
02/20/04
Depp is affably endearing and offers some hilarious, seemingly impromptu tributes to Chaplin and Keaton.
01/01/00
No review available.
10/10/05
Riddled with insufferably contrived zaniness ... it deals as deeply with mental illness as The Sound of Music explored the genocidal advance of the Third Reich.
01/01/00
Top CriticNo review available.
07/04/05
Top CriticAs the outsider who courts the mentally ill Mary Stuart Masterson, Johnny Depp renders a startling performance that elevates the romantic fable way above its writing and directing shortcomings; look for the young Julianne Moore in a small part.
04/08/06
Top CriticBenny & Joon tries to get by on quirkiness alone, and, while something this offbeat frequently carries a unique kind of appeal, it needs stronger characters than Sam and Joon.
01/01/00
Top CriticGreat early Depp performance and Masterson is equally terrific
10/07/04
Mr. Depp may look nothing like Buster Keaton, but there are times when he genuinely seems to become the Great Stone Face, bringing Keaton's mannerisms sweetly and magically to life.
05/20/03
Top CriticJohnny Depp is superb, but the rest of the movie doesn't hold water.
03/02/03
No review available.
01/20/06
The stars make it palatable, but it's too much contrived cuteness.
09/04/03
3.5
07/18/03
Benny & Joon wears its sensitivity on its sleeve and though it's a little hard to take at times, these actors make it all passable.
01/01/00
Where the story does not work for me is on the contrivance and in the view of mental illness.
01/01/00
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