Johnny Depp,
Mary Stuart Masterson,
Aidan Quinn,
Julianne Moore,
Oliver Platt
... see more 
Johnny Depp was nominated for a Golden Globe for his astonishing performance in Benny & Joon, though the entire cast is equally impressive. Benny (Aidan Quinn) runs a small car repair shop. He must al... read more
Directed by: Jeremiah Chechik, Jeremiah S. Chechik
Release Date: January 1, 1993
DVD Release Date: January 9, 2001
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Stats: 8,276 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (8,276)
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August 2, 2011Fun and delightful odd-ball comedy, featuring the always brilliant Johnny Depp, whose character in this story is no less memorable than all those he has come to play after this movie was made. And with "If I could walk 500 miles" as both the intro and outro song, you just can't g... read more
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July 24, 2011Joon: Don't underestimate the mentally ill. We know how to count.
Benny and Joon is basically a light comedy that turns into a drama in the last third. It's an odd movie to say the least and the actors really pulled their characters off well. I like that the movie didn't over ... read more -
May 18, 2011I think this movie is okay, but I know Depp fans out there just love it. If you ask me, this movie was made to showcase how cute and funny Depp could be, and of course his Chaplin impersonation. Other than that, there's no reason for it really.
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May 9, 2011Sam: I'm Sam.
Benny: So I hear. I'm Benny.
Sam: With an 'n'?
Benny: Yea two of 'em. This is Joon.
Sam: With an 'n'?
Joon: One. You're out of your tree.
Sam: It's not my tree. -
May 8, 2011Benny & Joon is about mentally unstable women Joon (Mary Masterson) who does anything she wants and over time drives her brother Benny (Aidan Quinn) and what ever house keeper he hires to look after her. One day a Sam (Johnny depp) moves in and his way of acting like a clown win... read more
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May 16, 2010This film was worth watching because I LOVE vaudeville physical comedy and Johnny Depp doing it?! Oh dear. Best thing ever. Once more I was struck by how YOUNG Johnny Depp is and the lack of make up and costumes on him and his face. Very cute, very sweet. Really liked it!
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April 3, 2010I enjoyed this movie for having such a kooky atmosphere to it. Johnny Depp was really entertaining and funny. It's a nice fluff movie, with a positive message about love. While it's not perfect, it doesn't claim to be. It's a harmless romantic comedy.
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February 15, 2010fb733768972Very funny and touching, again Johnny Depp is really weird, but he brings much more enjoyment to the story!
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January 20, 2010Touching film of a mentally unstable young woman(Mary Stuart Masterson) who lives with her overprotective older brother. A quirky young man(Johnny Depp) obsessed with silent screen star Charlie Chaplin moves in as a housekeeper, and essentially keeps more than the house in livabl... read more
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December 8, 2009BEAUTIFULL Movie. Benny and Joon a lovely tale. Great perfomance by Johnny Depp.
Critic Reviews
April 8, 2006
Emanuel Levy, Variety
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times
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. Full Review
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
The cast is defeated by a cloying Barry Berman script that Jeremiah Chechik directs with the same flair for the obvious he brought to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The movie suggests that love and magic can overcome madness, and for at least the length of the film I was prepared to accept that. Much of the credit for that goes to Depp... Full Review
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
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. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
[Chechik] has crafted Benny & Joon not as a seamless whole but as a tumble of scenes. Unfortunately, too many of them are inspired by Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd or Buster Keaton, and they seem to s... Full Review
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Benny & 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. Full Review
July 18, 2011
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
Any film that features Johnny Depp performing salutes to the great silent comedians (and, in particular, Buster Keaton) deserves a little slack... [Blu-ray] Full Review
June 21, 2009
TV Guide's Movie Guide
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 resi... Full Review
June 21, 2009
Film4
Things are kept on the right side of mawkish thanks largely to a graceful and understated performance from the ever-reliable Depp. Full Review
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Benny & Joon
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