“Benny & Joon” is an incredibly simple love story that, despite its short length, provides a deep and emotional charge for its characters and their situation. It touches on the tight knit bond of a family dealing with the effects of mental illness. It’s a dramedy with romance, and all three elements are covered in its 1:38 running time.
Released in 1993, the movie opens with a popular one hit wonder by “The Proclaimers,” setting up the main characters in a non-obvious sort of way. Benny (Aidan Quinn) is a mechanic who lives with and cares for his mentally ill sister Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson.) While the exact illness is never revealed, Joon suffers from schizophrenia, and though she appears perfectly normal on the outside, it’s fast revealed that she can’t be left alone for long for fear of her own safety. A lost bet at a friendly and highly comical poker game sends the eccentric Sam (Johnny Depp) into Benny and Joon’s lives.
While Depp and Quinn are the big names, Mary Stuart Masterson steals the show as Joon. Masterson’s career has been consistently level with her breakout performance in the late 80s “Some Kind of Wonderful,” demonstrating her knack for always and only accepting the right roles. She plays the character of Joon with a certain kindness that reveals the character to have more depth than one may expect going in. We know she loves to paint, and blend her cereal, but there’s more to the character and Masterson is brilliant at showing us.
The brother/sister loving bond is a touching part of the film, and Aidan Quinn does a great job in the role of big brother. We know Benny loves Joon, but hasn’t been able to freely live his own life since taking her into his home 12 years prior. His friends and even Joon’s therapist want Benny to commit Joon to a group home, a decision he refuses to accept. Johnny Depp’s physical comedy plays well off of both Masterson and Quinn in an obvious homage to the legendary Buster Keaton.
Some pretty big Hollywood names provide solid effort in secondary roles. Oliver Platt as Benny’s best friend, Julianne Moore as a waitress at a diner where the gang frequents, and William H. Macy as a local businessman. While the casting relies heavily on the three main stars, the ancillary performers make the overall lineup a strength for the film.
“Benny & Joon” is an enjoyable film to watch, though predictable and only one speed. I was ready to assign a sold ‘B’ as a grade, but what sent it up a level was the amazing score; the emotional cadence of a simple flute, that plays throughout the story, setting the tones in several key scenes. It perfectly embodies the nature and feelings of the characters, while sending the viewer back to the early 1990s and a simpler time in life.
