Benny & Joon

"A romance on the brink of reality."

Apr 16 1993 PG 1h 38m
Comedy, Drama, Romance

A mentally ill young woman finds her love in an eccentric man who models himself after Buster Keaton.

Plot

In Spokane, Washington, Juniper Pearl - Joon to those that know her - is an artist. She is also a mentally challenged young woman who requires around the clock care, as she could cause harm to herself or others. Her brother Benny Pearl, who owns and operates a garage and who is her only living relative since their parents died twelve years ago in a car accident, has made the decision that she would live at home with him, in the process sacrificing being able to have a personal life of his own. He has hired full-time housekeepers to provide that care when he isn't around. However, he has exhausted the list of housekeepers, who keep quitting because Joon is too much to handle. As such, Benny makes the decision that perhaps it would be best for all concerned if Joon were to live in a group home, something he is hesitating telling her for fear of her reaction. Into their lives comes Sam, the eccentric cousin of Benny's friend Mike, who they obtained from Mike in a losing hand of poker. Among his eccentricities, Sam has a penchant for bursting into Buster Keatonesque physical comedy routines. As Sam ultimately makes a connection with both Benny and Joon, he becomes a complicating factor in their lives as Benny evaluates Sam's fitness to handle both the good and bad of Joon.

Written by

Barry Berman, Lesley McNeil

Directed by

Jeremiah S. Chechik

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Roth-Arnold Productions

Languages

English

Awards

4 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
63,323
Average Rating
7.1 out of 10
Metascore
57
Popularity
NA