Login
I first saw 'Benny and Joon' when it was still sort of new, back in 1994 or so; and I didn't care for it at all the first time around. Mostly due to the presence of Johnny Depp, whom I found "ugly" and very irritating. (The movie also kind of bored me back in those days.)
I finally watched it again recently on Netflix, and my opinion improved -- but only by a little bit.
On a positive note -- more than 20 years after first seeing the movie, it now holds some nostalgic value that wouldn't/couldn't have applied back when it was new and I was still a teenager. However, watching as an adult, the movie (while not necessarily "dated") definitely looked and felt very "90's", in an appealing sort of way (especially the Proclaimers song that plays in the opening credits -- which was actually an 80's song, but it didn't become a hit until it was used in this film). So there's that.
Aside from the nostalgia, 'Benny and Joon' also (for the most part) has a pretty good cast. Stars Aidan Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson (as the title characters) are both decent actors and gave solid performances; and it was fun to see CCH Pounder, William H. Macy, and Oliver Platt turn up in supporting roles.
(I'm "meh" on Julianne Moore; but for those who care, she makes an appearance here, too -- in the world's most thankless role as Benny's girlfriend).
Finally, I appreciate that the movie was both filmed and set in the state of Washington -- specifically in Spokane (a detail I'm not sure that I noticed the first time I watched; or if I did notice it, I'd forgotten). Granted, I live all the way over on the other side of Washington; but it's always nice to see my home state in the movies! (And the state of Washington looks very inviting in certain scenes of this film.)
Now, on to the less positive stuff -- I'm still not a Johnny Depp fan, nor have I ever been a fan of his (although now that I'm past the age of 14, at least I can say that my lack of interest in Mr. Depp has nothing to do with his appearance -- which I don't care about one way or the other). I know that for many viewers, Depp "makes" the movie; I also know that a lot of people think he's a wonderful actor in general.
However, while I don't necessarily think that he's a *terrible* actor (and, heck, he's possibly even my very distant cousin -- something I learned while researching my family history), there's *something* about Depp that just bugs me. I can't pinpoint what it is; but he especially annoys me in "quirky" roles such as this one.
On that note -- it didn't help that in 'Benny and Joon', Depp's character "Sam" wasn't exactly the most developed; Sam seemed to act "wacky" just for the sake of acting wacky (okay, so he wanted to be just like Bustor Keaton, but... why?). I suppose the character *did* come across as kind and gentle, and that was nice; but despite these traits, Sam wasn't especially believable (or compelling enough for me to really care about him at all -- whether as an individual or as the potential love interest of Joon).
Speaking of "Joon", Masterson's performance was fine; but her character's mental illness wasn't focused on enough (I'm not sure what illness she was supposed to have; I'm not even sure the the *filmmakers* knew). As a result, I didn't quite swallow that whole story line; Joon's illness seemed more like an attempt to make the character a "cute" and "quirky" match for wacky Sam than an authentic portrayal of mental illness.
(That said, the filmmakers made sure to include a *very* dramatic breakdown scene set on a bus; it's a little over-the-top, but not as cringe-worthy as it could have been.)
Anyhow, while I didn't wind up with cavities while watching -- the "aren't they just so cute and kooky?" relationship between Sam and Joon nevertheless made this movie just a bit too overly-sweet for my liking.
(And finally, on a nitpicky note: I hate the not-very-pretty spelling of Joon's name.)
Overall -- even though I enjoyed it a little more the second time, 'Benny and Joon' still earns just a 4/10 from me. (Hey, at least I raised it from a 3/10!)
4/10
