Benny and Joon
PG
1993 | 99 mins | Comedy
10 years before Johnny Depp donned a pirate hat and braided his goatee to play Captain Jack Sparrow, he channeled the spirit of another eccentric misfit simply named Sam - a quirky, soft-spoken stranger who comes to town and rattles the delicate balance between overprotective Benny (Aidan Quinn) and his mentally disturbed sister Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson). Though well-acted throughout, Depp steals the show with an imaginative and heartfelt performance. Even if movies about relationships don't usually do it for you, there's a richness and magical quality to this film that anyone can appreciate. And if nothing else, you'll get some zany ideas about what to do with a few forks and dinner rolls at your next meal out!
Trailers + Extras
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The story of Benny & Joon
The cast talks about Benny & Joon's relationship
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Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp as Sam
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Benny & Joon Featurette
In depth look at the making of the film
Top 10 Fun Facts
- The dancing bread rolls moment in Benny & Joon was borrowed from Charlie Chaplin's 1925 classic movie "The Gold Rush." Some say borrowed, others say stolen.
- Talk about a quickie - they only spent 45 minutes shooting "Prom Queen Mutilator."
- In case you were wondering how much begging the director had to do to get Johnny Depp to taste the paint, the answer is none - Depp actually improvised the scene.
- Mary Stuart Masterston may want to get an MRI, since she says that she cannot remember shooting the bus scene. That's probably not good.
- To try and make his handwriting look more like a child's, the right-handed Depp wrote with his left hand in the film. I guess he's not ambidextrous.
- Depp literally threw himself into the role. He wouldn't let a stunt man do his job for the physical comedy stuff in the park - he did it all himself.

- A year before Benny and Joon was released, Johnny Depp starred in the video for the Lemonhead's hit song "It's a Shame About Ray." The filmmakers referenced this in the movie when Sam says to Joon "It's a shame about raisins." How very meta.
- Miniature models are often used to substitute for their real-life counterparts in movies. Usually this bit of movie magic works. Not so much in Benny & Joon. During the opening credits, it is quite obvious that the train is just a model. And not the first "model" Johnny's been associated with.

- When we see Joon's medical records in Benny and Joon, her address is listed as N 825 Water Street. When she produces her Medical Alert card as a form of ID in the next scene it shows her address as N 301 Cedar Street. Continuity issue or did Joon forget to make an address change?

- Like Viggo Mortensen in A Perfect Murder, Mary Stuart Masterson featured her own paintings in Benny and Joon. Unlike Mortensen, she did not go on to pursue art as a side project.


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