Benny & Joon

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Benny & Joon

PG

1993

1h 33m

Romance

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

40 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Benny (Aidan Quinn), who cares for his mentally disturbed sister, Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), also welcomes the eccentric Sam (Johnny Depp) into his home at Joon's request. Sam entertains Joon while he dreams of a job at the video store. Once Benny realizes Joon and Sam have started a relationship, he kicks Sam out of the house. This leads to an altercation between brother and sister. Joon runs away with Sam, who soon realizes that she may need more support than he alone can provide.

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Peter Rainer

Los Angeles Times

06/17/2020

This sentimental stew is not without its flavors, and the cast tries hard to be winsome and adorably distraught.

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Matt Mueller

Empire Magazine

06/17/2020

3/5

This is a wisp of a movie, to be sure, but underneath all the absurd comic fringes and the much-abused crazies-are-really-sane theme beats the heart of a genuinely poetic love story.

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

01/29/2019

B

Inconsequential as it is, Benny & Joon is that rare thing, a crazy-versus-sane movie that likes one kind as much as the other.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/02/2020

3.5/4.0

The film is blessed with a wonderful use of color and cinematography, stellar costume design and simple, but effective, set design.

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Roger Hurlburt

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

06/17/2020

Benny & Joon is a curious movie that should not work but somehow does.

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Brian D. Johnson

Maclean's Magazine

06/17/2020

It is a funny, innocuous fable, a Sweet 'N Low romantic comedy that seems a little facile at first, but has irresistible charm.

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bruce C

@bruce999 Aug 3

i totally loved this drama and it has some comic routines this is close to a must see. it is worth a watch. nice direction and script. i loved the buster keaton imitation scenes, by depp.

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Shelby Q

@ShelbyLynn Jul 17

This is a movie you could easily fall in love with. It was cute quirky, and as always Johnny Depp's acting was top-notch. His sweet, comedic, sensitive, and genuine personality is the absolute best in this film. I think Rotten Tomatoes rated this movie a little low. But I'm sure they have their reasons. As for the rest of us, you can't watch this movie and not have your heart filled.

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Joy B.

@9mr_0 Jan 8

الفلم جميل جدا . القصة جميلة و متماسكة لكنها تفتقد للعمق الدرامي للشخصيات . اداء الممثلين كان رائع و تطور الشخصيات كان متزن وهادىء . بعض الشخصيات كان حظورها شكلي لم تقدم شيء حقيقي للقصة. الاخراج كان سلسل المخرج سرد القصة بشكل جميل لكن لعب على الوتر العاطفي اكثر من الدرامي . التصوير كان جميل و ثابت مع موسيقى جيدة.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Dec 27

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Dylece Y

@RT62489669 Sep 18

This movie is glorifying mental health challenges and making people question their own personal lives the movie should have been about the brother Benny finally becoming his own person and becoming free not his sisters twisted love life I used to watch this as a child now we're watching this as an adult I realize that this was not a child's movie and it was really messed up not appropriate

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Rhyan D

@RT41729980 05/19/2025

Quite simply: a perfect film!

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Jeremiah S. Chechik

Director

Johnny Depp

Sam

Mary Stuart Masterson

Juniper 'Joon' Pearl

Aidan Quinn

Benjamin 'Benny' Pearl

Julianne Moore

Ruthie

Oliver Platt

Eric

Benny & Joon: Official Clip - A Quick Diversion

1:58

Benny & Joon: Official Clip - Meeting Sam

2:23

Benny & Joon: Official Clip - Sam Swings By

2:09

Benny & Joon: Official Clip - You Need Me to Be Sick

1:28

Benny & Joon: Official Clip - Sam's Troublesome Hat

2:13

Benny & Joon: Official Clip - Sam's Park Routine

1:16

Benny & Joon: Official Clip - Fingerpainting

1:33

Benny & Joon: Official Clip - Prom Queen Mutilator

1:13

Benny & Joon: Official Clip - The Dance of the Rolls

2:10

Benny & Joon: Official Clip - Grilled Cheese Sandwich

1:43

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Synopsis

Benny (Aidan Quinn), who cares for his mentally disturbed sister, Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), also welcomes the eccentric Sam (Johnny Depp) into his home at Joon's request. Sam entertains Joon while he dreams of a job at the video store. Once Benny realizes Joon and Sam have started a relationship, he kicks Sam out of the house. This leads to an altercation between brother and sister. Joon runs away with Sam, who soon realizes that she may need more support than he alone can provide.

Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik
Producer: Susan Arnold, Donna Arkoff Roth
Screenwriter: Barry Berman, Lesley McNeil
Distributor: United International Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Roth-Arnold Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 16, 1993, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 29, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $23.1M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Surround

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