It is nice to approach a movie like this with no real prejudice about anything it involves and just end up really enjoying it. Benny & Joon is a romantic comedy from the early 90s that I never got around to see. I had no expectations, as this movie was incredibly far from my radar. It is not that I wrote it off for a particular reason, I just can’t see everything, and this is one of the films that slipped through. Fortunately, I managed to grab a hold of this new Blu-ray for the sake of a review, and that turned out to be a very good thing. Benny & Joon is a very good romantic comedy, featuring charming performances from all three leads. It is a lot of quirky fun and a good showcase for the physical comedy abilities of Johnny Depp. The required dramatic element is very standard in how it is handled, but I enjoyed these characters enough to look past this issue.
Aidan Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson star as the title characters, Benjamin “Benny” and Juniper “Joon”. They play brother and sister, living together in a regular, small town. While Benny is a normal guy, working as the owner of an auto mechanic shop, he has also accepted a life of taking care of Joon, who is, as the movie puts it, “ill.” Joon occasionally has episodes that cause her to freak out and become a bit more destructive and hostile than normal. However, other than these rare occurrences, Joon is more or less a quirky and fun person to observe, fitting the model of a manic-pixie dream girl. Benny, despite loving his sister, has unfortunately had to hold back from having more of a social life due to his caring for Joon. The one activity he does involve himself in, is a weekly poker game with friend, who make more obscure bets, as opposed to money.
During one fateful poker game, Joon talks her way in Benny’s place, which leads to a high stakes bet. Since Joon loses her hand, she and Benny must now take in their friend’s cousin, Sam (Johnny Depp), who is a curious case in his own right. While not “ill” like Joon, Sam has plenty of his own quirks, which basically extend to his love for silent film comedians of the past, such as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Because of this, Sam tends to live out his fantasy-like world in front of others, which seems at first odd to the siblings, but eventually becomes endearing, especially for Joon.
Inevitably, Joon and Sam become smitten with each other, leading to some complications, as Benny is not about to let his sister run off with this goofy Depp character. Other issues also set in, such as Benny’s own personal life drama and the other inevitable question of whether or not Joon may have to live in a care facility. Some drama, but mostly hilarity ensues.
I enjoyed this movie a lot, despite the way it plays to convention. It has everything to do with how likable and charming this cast is. Johnny Depp would obviously be the main selling point for many at this point, but I was really taken by Mary Stuart Masterson. She has to play the “special” character role, which can quickly fall into cliché territory. While the plot of this film does require her to fall into some traps, Masterson still manages to make the character very much a strong presence throughout the film, who is not made lesser by the conventions that the story follows. I also appreciated the brother/sister chemistry shared between her and Aidan Quinn (who was apparently a last minute replacement, when it came to casting the film).
Getting to Depp, yes, he is easily the reason that many will adore this film, given the target audience. He brings the exact kind of quality you would expect. The charming rogue, whose outsider behavior does not have any sort of mean quality to it, but is instead the product of quirkiness and showmanship. Depp’s character has a deep love for silent comedians, which gives Depp the opportunity to have a lot of fun with the physical comedy aspect of his character. There is a lot of fun to be had with this character who wants nothing more than to challenge those who encounter him with an odd but fun sense of humor. The way he bonds with Joon is also nicely done, as the two share a warm chemistry as well.
The film also finds the time to have an early 90s version of actors who would all amount to having significant careers later on. These actors include Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, and Oliver Platt. Moore in particular gets to do a great deal of work, as she and Quinn start to develop a relationship of their own during the course of the film. All of the supporting cast manages to bring their talents into a film that simply requires a likable bunch of people that we want to follow.
The flaws of the film really just revolve around how this film plays to convention. Despite having a warm, quirky nature, the last act of the film settles into slightly darker territory, that tests the strengths of Joon’s character. As a romantic comedy and as a family drama, this film hits the beats that most would see coming; however, getting to this area of the film, I at least felt invested in the characters enough to not mind so much.
Much like the soundtrack of this film, I found Benny & Joon to be an alternative type of comedy. While it plays to what is constantly seen, there is enough that manages to make the film a lot more tolerable, let alone incredibly likable, that caught me off guard. I expected to appreciate some of the aspects, but even while I have only attributed so many stars to the “all important rating,” I still feel that this is a film that can be appreciated by many. This is certainly a film I would warm to seeing over whatever recent Kate Hudson comedy hits theaters next. Benny & Joon was a nice 90s surprise that I enjoyed finally getting around to see.
I feel like this was more a film that was just going through the motions of being put on Blu-ray. This is especially reflected in the special features, which I will get to later, but obviously Benny & Joon does not appear to have the treatment of a film that MGM decided to go all out for. That being said, it is a decent transfer. Presented in 1080p, in its 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the film, for the most part looks good. Taking place in a small town without a whole lot of action beyond the antics of Depp, this is not a movie that features much in a visual sense. Still, despite some grain issues and brightness levels of certain elements of the film, it is a very decent transfer that does justice to the film.
I feel like I may be repeating myself, but Benny & Joon delivers a decent audio track, given the lack of very special treatment that this film was given. Present on the disc is a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo Track, which gets the job done quite well. Again, as the film does not present anything more than a nice, dialogue heavy comedy, with a mix of some alternative audio tracks (which includes the The Proclaimers’ very popular, “I’m gonna be (500 miles)”), there is not a lot necessary that could make this film deliver more in terms of its audio. That being said, I was certainly not blown away by how the track came across, but going by what is presented, this is an audio track that was mixed the way it needed to be. The disc also has French and Spanish audio and subtitle tracks.
The bonus features on a film like this are not the most plentiful; however, there are a few things worth a look. While they are all presented only in SD, one has to make due sometimes, I guess.
Features include:
-Audio commentary by director Jeremiah Chechik. Not the most exciting track. Some nice stories here or there, but not something for casual viewers.
-Deleted Scenes. About five minutes of footage here. Nice enough to see a little more of the film.
-Costume, Make-Up Test and Stunt Reel. The longest feature, clocking in at around 18 minutes. Cinematographer John Schwartzman explains some of the filmmaking aspects of the feature.
-Music Video. The Proclaimers – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles). Ah, the early 90s.
-Trailers
Again, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed Benny & Joon. The film is a fun, quirky romantic comedy, which should not be overlooked if one has never seen it. Johnny Depp is a lot of fun, while being weird in that charming sort of way. Masterson and Quinn are also good in the film. It lends itself to convention in its plotting, but the film is still very enjoyable. The disc is serviceable as well. The picture quality is good enough for a film that seems to be going through the motions of being transferred to Blu-ray, but the audio quality is slightly better. Special Features don’t come in the greatest numbers and are not the most informative, but the section is still worth a peak. Still, the film is certainly worth checking out.
